The Silent Ranger
by SoftBasketVolley
Summary: Ben has none of the traits to be an "ideal" Ranger, but there's something about him that has potential. When Professor Hastings sends him on a special mission with the most talented Ranger of his class, things don't go as planned. The Silent Ranger: a Story of Growth (follows the events of Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs) ObliviaShipping
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, this is the loose sequel to Hellomeetcha! You don't need to read the first one because the characters are new.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon Ranger**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**The Introduction**

For Ben, the worst part about going to the Union was the glares. Not only was the far travel from Haruba Town extremely inconvenient, but the people also acted like he was the living plague. There was no real reason in Ben's opinion to be shunned like that, but he supposed there was a tiny, minuscule fault to him. Being the notorious troublemaker of the Ranger Academy could make anyone a little nervous around Ben.

It was really nothing when Ben thought about it. Sure, he didn't really exert himself, and sure, he was always caught doing some prank, but it was all in good fun. One thing that people didn't understand about Ben was the fact that he was shy, not standoffish. He just didn't like to talk. That was no reason for people to think that Ben was some mysterious weirdo. He just liked to be by himself and have a little fun in the meantime. He almost didn't graduate, but once he did they sent him back to where he came from.

"Are you lost?" asked a blonde woman with striking blue eyes and a braid. Ben sighed. She seemed like a nice woman, a professor perhaps. "I'm Aria, Professor Hastings' assistant."

Ben was from Haruba Town originally. He lived with his aunt ever since he could remember. They weren't exactly a wealthy family. Ben had to be sneaky in order to get food on the table. His aunt always gushed about how much he looked like his father, something that Ben always disliked. Ben was tall and lanky, a scrawny Ranger. Ben was naturally tan from the Haruba sun, but he had this unruly brown hair that always stuck straight up. The only thing he got from his mother were those usual hazel eyes.

"You must be Ben," Aria chuckled. "I've been told that you don't talk much. Come with me, Professor Hastings is waiting for you. By the way, that Oblivia uniform looks good on you."

Ben rolled his eyes while following the woman. That was a lie. For starters, the uniform was a size too big for the thin eighteen-year-old. The colors blue and yellow clashed much more than the old red uniform he wore. The scarf was a little tight around his neck, and the goggles gave him a headache.

"Was the trip from Haruba Village taxing?" Aria asked.

"No."

Aria glanced back at him. "So you do talk!"

Ben sulked. He hated this situation. He wanted to stay in Haruba where no one made him go anything uncomfortable in the slightest.

Aria led Ben into the briefing room. Ben kept his eyes trained to the ground as usual. He really didn't want to know who his partner was, to be completely honest. Ben was told that his partner was in Ranger School with him. That made the situation ten times worse because that person would probably try to avoid him, or maybe try to talk to him. That would be worse. He didn't want to be treated like some freak like they did in school.

"Young Rangers!" started an old voice. "I've heard so much about you. I'm Professor Hastings, the Ranger Union's Chief of Technology."

Ben raised his eyes. Professor Hastings was old, like, really old. The man was leaning on a cane with a wrinkly friendly smile. Next to him was a studious-looking woman with navy hair. He was well-dressed but covered it all with an old lab coat.

"Are you familiar with my work?" Hastings asked.

"Of course!" said Ben's partner next to him. The voice sounded familiar. It was feminine, yet powerful. "I've read all of your works and memoirs."

"I would expect nothing less from you Summer," Hastings chuckled fondly.

Ben snapped his head to the side to see Summer with a shocked expression. Summer was no ordinary Ranger. She was the daughter of Kellyn and Rhythmi, the heroes of Almia. Kellyn was Ben's inspiration to be a Ranger. Summer was practically Ranger royalty, a prodigy. She was everything that Ben wasn't: talented, popular, outgoing, brave. Summer could do no wrong. Ben blushed as she smiled at him. Summer surely was an attractive young woman. Summer had these alluring blue eyes and light brown hair with a curvy figure. Ben had never spoken to her and never really thought much of her, but this was the first time he had ever made eye-contact with her. Summer was radiant. Ben couldn't help but be shocked.

"I called you both because I have an extraordinary mission for you two," Hastings started.

"An extraordinary mission?" Summer questioned.

"I'm sure you have heard of this. There is an awful group of people who control Pokemon and take them from their homes. They are called…"

"The Pokemon Pinchers," Summer finished.

"Very good, Summer," Hastings praised.

Ben had never heard of them before.

"Up until recently, the members have been working independently, but now these Pokemon Pinchers have become unified. The question is why. They're up to no good. I want you two to travel to the Oblivia region, investigate their plans, and stop them. Allow Murph to explain the region."

A pudgy, goofy man step forward. Ben was surprised that he didn't notice him before. He had this cheerful aura to him.

"Leave it to me!" he cheered, causing Ben to wince. "I'm Murph, and I'm in charge of PR here at the Union. This is one of my few responsibilities. In a sense, it's a place the rest of the world has forgotten about. It's a carefree and peaceful paradise."

"That might exactly be what the Pinchers are after," said Summer.

"The area is so peaceful that we only have one Area Ranger stationed there," added Hastings.

"The motto of Oblivia: 'Oblivia, Islands of Ancient Ruins and Legends.'" Summer looked smug reciting that. She obviously paid attention way more than Ben in school.

"Now listen, you two," said Hastings in that raspy voice. "It may be peaceful, but don't let your guard down. This mission is urgent. Depart immediately for the Oblivia region."

* * *

"Whee haa!" shouted some lunatic on a flying apparatus.

"Just give up already!" shouted another lunatic. "Do you really think you can get away?!"

They barreled across the sky of Oblivia, chasing the legendary Pokemon, Latios, in some funky hunting outfit.

"You just don't know when to give up!"

Ben's Staraptor cried out and startled the two lunatics. This was the first time that Ben had ever flow on a Staraptor, yet Summer had complimented him. She has said that he was a natural.

"Wh-Who's that?!"

"Red goggles, a yellow scarf… and a capture Styler! You're a Pokemon Ranger!"

Ben was silent. He really wouldn't call himself a Ranger. He barely graduated, and he hardly did work in Haruba Village. Ben really was a failure in his eyes, but he didn't really care.

A Pidgey controlled by the lunatics flew out and attacked Ben's face. In a panic, he started up is styler and spun it around himself. The Pidgey must have been weak because it was captured quickly. It had been a long time since he captured a Pokemon. As he finished, Latios flew off like a rocket. Ben was mesmerized by the grand Pokemon.

"The stupid silent Ranger made our target get away! It's hard to believe someone could pull off a mid-air capture like that. You're something else! Time to dispose of trash like you with a plasma cannon!" the lunatic shouted while firing up some cannons on the apparatus.

The two fired relentlessly at Ben as the Staraptor dodged. Ben panicked as he lost his balance a little. He attempted to steer the Staraptor to safety when the two stopped.

"Oh no! My Plasma Cannon's battery is dead!"

"Mine too1 Wild firing might not have been the best idea! I guess we'll have to ram him!"

"Are you sure you want to do that?" shouted Summer, who swooped down to make an entrance. Ben looked at her with confusion because he thought she was going ahead to get the other lunatics. "Now you have to deal with two Rangers!"

"We have to retreat!" shouted one of the lunatics.

Summer turned to Ben with a confident smile. "I took care of the other guys. I didn't want to leave my partner behind."

Ben was speechless, which wasn't new. Summer was kind. Ben couldn't possibly be more thankful for her showing up.

"Wait!" shouted a new voice. "There is one more on our side now, too!"

"Wh-What?" said Summer

Out of the clouds, a built man with blonde hair and a red fringe popped out. He looked confident and strong. Ben suddenly felt all of the little bravery he had drain under those piercing red eyes.

"Our leader! They're Pokemon Rangers!"

"I can see that," he snidely added. "I could recognize that idiotic uniform anywhere. Though, this is the first time I've seen flying rangers, though. The girl looks tough, but the guy looks like nothing but a pipsqueak."

"He's not a pipsqueak," Summer defended.

"Whatever. You guys are a joke."

Summer grit her teeth and shouted out with annoyance, "Who's a joke? You're the leader of a team that can't even handle a couple of 'brats'!"

The leader narrowed his eyes. "You there… Do you know the consequences for mouthing off like that? I have just the sport for a tough-talking brat like you. Skydiving… without a parachute!"

Ben didn't think. If he did, he never would have moved. Summer have known what was coming next because she closed her eyes and shielded her body. Ben swerved to the side and took the hole plasma blast. He expected to feel pain, but the adrenaline kept him awake.

Summer opened her eyes when the blast didn't hit. "...Huh? What happened?"

"Sacrificing themselves to save another… How… bold," the leader chuckled, watching ben plunging to the sea. "You should at least thank your partner for saving you. 'Cause now they're hurling headfirst into the ocean!"

Summer's heart started to pound so loud that her ears were ringing. A wave of panic flooded her body when she noticed that Ben was no longer beside her. She promised Hastings that she would protect him. Ben wasn't exactly skilled, but he had something that Hastings liked, and now he was plunging to the sea.

"What did you say?" Summer said weakly. "He saved me, and now he's falling into the ocean?!"

"Well now… Don't get upset. We don't need you crying. You seem lucky. Maybe we should make you into our lucky charm."

Ben couldn't remember screaming on his way down, but he was sure that he was doing it. Why did he save Summer? Sure, she was nice enough to talk to him the whole way even though he didn't respond, but why? Maybe it was because Ben knew that Summer had a better chance of surviving than he did. Ben would be useless without Summer, but Summer could survive without him.

Ben lost consciousness once he hit the cold ocean, but he swore he saw some strange symbol at the bottom of the ocean.

* * *

**Heyo**

**So what'd you think? I've always loved the Pokemon Ranger games, so I thought it would be fun to make a little spin on the stories. **

**If you could, I'd love if you'd review because I seriously want to know how you feel about the story. No review is a bad review! Don't worry, I have thick skin!**

**Peace ****( ͡ ͜ʖ ͡ )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything about Pokemon**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**The Castaway**

There was the low humming twank of a ukulele. Ben groaned as the sunlight started to bring him to consciousness. How long had he been out? Ben slowly opened his eyes as the light blurred his vision. Then the pain came in waves. It felt like he had been twisted up and wrung out.

It smelled like salt water and coral. Ben hated the ocean. Ocean sand was much more annoying than desert sand. He was sure that he was covered in sand and salt like some seashell.

His Voice Navigation buzzed at him. _Current location… X Coordinate 055665, Y Coordinate 355671… Seawater has Penetrated the Styler's Voice Nav. circuit. Current location… X Coordinate 05 bzzzzzzzz Y Coordinate bzz bzz..._

Great. Ben huffed and stood up, shaking his weakened body to wake up. Ben wanted to go home already. Summer had probably already reached wherever they were supposed to go.

_This is Dolce Island in the Oblivia region… bzzzz…. Recovering Voice Nav. program._

At least he was in the right place kind of. If he could remember correctly, Dolce Island was south of the main islands. Ben looked around. This was a pleasant enough place, except it was silent. He swore that he heard a ukulele earlier.

Ben tried to contact the Union or Summer but there was no use. His Styler was waterlogged. Ben was kind of scared to be completely honest. Summer would have known what to do.

_Dolce Island is uninhabited. The nearest inhabited island is Renbow Island, which is north of Dolce Island, across a narrow strait. _

Ben figured that the best course of action was to travel north to the northern beach. He struggled to remember the survival skills that he had learned in Ranger School. How hard could it be? He could probably make a shelter. There were all kinds of greenery and fruits as he walked into the jungle-like forestry.

As he walked passed a hollow tree stump, and angry Pichu charged at him. Ben backed up and raised his hands in defeat. He really didn't want to fight the little Pokemon. It was cute with a little ukulele but packed an attitude.

"Easy," Ben muttered. "Let's just be friends."

Pichu wasn't convinced as he charged Ben and latched itself to his head. Ben started a capture in panic. Pichu, without warning, zapped Ben ruthlessly. The Styler continued to spin as the Pichu clawed at him. Ben yelped when the Pichu jumped off as an orb popped around it. Pichu then played a tune on the little ukulele he held.

"Pichu!" called a man. "You're okay!"

An old man appeared from the path. He looked like a friendly island man that wore bright clashing colors. He had this odd fashioned facial hair that looked very similar to Professor Hastings except the man was balding except one little tuft of white hair.

The man ignored Ben and turned to Pichu. "Where are your other Pichu friends?" Pichu let out a sad cry. "Don't know, huh? Who were those folks who showed up on those UFO-lookin' things anyhow? I was far away, and I couldn't see very well… But what were they doin' chasin' Pokemon 'round anyways?"

Ben awkwardly shifting, drawing attention to himself. "Well," the old man started, walking closer to inspect Ben. "What do we have here? A Pokemon Ranger! I've never seen ya 'round these parts. What's yer name?"

The man sounded like he was from Boyle Island. The Islanders had an accent very similar to his. Ben stood silent.

"You a mute?"

"No," Ben responded.

"What's yer name, kiddo?"

"Ben, but I'm not really a Ranger."

"I don't really care if yer a real ranger or not. You have the uniform, so that means you're a Ranger, Ben. I'm Booker, the master shipbuilder from Renbow Island across the way." Pichu cheered. "This island doesn't have many places much higher than this, so if there was a tidal wave or somethin', there wouldn't be anyplace to run. So to make sure I'm ready, I'm always buildin' small boats. You like boats, Ben?"

Ben sulked into himself. He didn't like to talk because he was afraid to be judged or treated poorly. He liked to keep people at an arm's distance.

"You aren't a talker, huh? That's not going to fly if you want to be a good Ranger," Booker scolded. "Well, anyway. The boats are life rafts for the Pokemon that can't fly or swim. At first impression, you remind me of one of those Pokemon."

In the awkward silence after that. Pichu strummed the ukulele and climbed up Ben.

"Seems like little Ukulele Pichu's taken a shine to you! I came up with the nickname 'Ukulele Pichu.' The blue ukulele looks great on the Pichu, eh?"

"Y-Yeah," Ben responded.

"That's more like it, Ben!" shouted Booker while patting Ben in the back, knocking him a bit.

"Ukulele Pichu's smile makes me feel better," Ben mumbled.

Booker smiled. "Say, you're a tall drink of water. I bet if you built up some muscle, you'd be a force to reckon with."

"Ukulele Pichu isn't really playing, right? He's forcing electricity through it to make the twang," Ben added.

"Pichu!" Ukulele Pichu added with a strum.

"You're smart, too," Booker added. "Have ya ever seen a UFO?"

Ben shook his head.

"When I was strollin' 'long the beach of Renbow Island, I saw UFOs flyin' above Dolce Island. I was worried about the Pokemon, so I hurried over on my boat. When I got here, a suspicious group was chasin' 'round the Pokemon. Then, before I could even holler, they disappeared into the sky on their UFOs. Were they aliens?"

"No," Ben started. "I don't think they were."

"By the way, young Ranger, this here's no place to camp. How'd you get here?"

Ben clenched his jaw. "I was blasted out of the sky. I washed ashore here."

"Goodness!" exclaimed Booker. "Want me to take you to renbow Island? You know what? No need ta answer."

* * *

"You're really a Pokemon Ranger?" asked Ralph in excitement. He and a couple of his friends circled around Ben, causing him to become nervous, holding his big hands up.

Ben learned a couple of things on the way to Renbow Island. One: Booker is the hasty type. He forgot to tie up his boat, so it floated away to sea. Luckily, there was a spare on the island. Two: Ben was weak. He couldn't push the boat down the ramp. He needed the help of a Ursaring. Three: He really didn't like being scolded. Ben knew that before, but he was one-hundred percent positive at that point. Booker harped him the whole way that he needed to "buff up" if he ever wanted to really be successful.

"You look a little skinny to be a Pokemon Ranger," one of Ralph's friends pointed out, causing Ben to wince.

"There's no doubt Ben's a Ranger, though," Booker added. "The proof is that I saw the whirlin' round stuff with my own eyes."

Ralph's eyes widened. "You mean a capture? I sure wish I could've seen it."

Ben smiled awkwardly. He wasn't used to being gushed over by a bunch of kids. That sounded like something Summer was probably used to.

"I'm going to tell everyone a Ranger has come to our village, 'cause I think everyone is worried about this UFO stuff." With that, Ralph and his friends rushed off.

Booker chuckled. "Ralph is such a reliable boy. He can probably tell you lots about this island and Cocona Village as well." While no one was watching, Ukulele Pichu bolted off.

Ben already decided that he liked Cocona Village much more than back home. For one, sand wasn't always on your face. Booker was really kind to him. Booker even offered to let Ben stay at his house as long as ben promised to do one hundred push-ups and two hundred sit-ups a day.

Booker's residence was cluttered with wood, stains, knick-knacks, papers, boat models, actual boats, and the occasional chair. Right as they entered, a guy around the same age as Ben, greeted Booker.

"Welcome home, boss!" he said, messing with the bandana over his green hair. "Who's this person with you? Oh no, could it be? Disillusioned with being a Ranger, this person has come to ask to be your new apprentice? Then, moved by those words, you decided to take them in? If that's the case, I'm no longer needed, so it's pack your bags and hit the road, right?"

Booker paused. "Ben isn't doin' any such thing. Stop dreamin' up lame stories."

"I'm so relieved to hear that."

Booker turned to Ben. "That's my apprentice shipbuilder, Nick. He's a hard worker, but he has a wild imagination, and he's always worryin' about foolish things."

Ben laughed when Nick rolled his eyes. "What brings you to Oblivia, Ben?"

"I'm… um…" Ben started.

"Don't strain yourself," Booker teased.

"I'm here to investigate the mysterious group called the Pokemon Pinchers. They've been abducting Pokemon from their homes. Those UFOs are actually belonging to the group. They probably took Dolce Island's Pokemon," Ben finished.

"What an unbelievable group of good-fer-nothin's!" shouted Booker in rage. "How are you so calm?"

"I have a partner with me. Her name is Summer, and we got separated when I got shot out of the sky."

"Do you think she's been captured?" Nick asked.

Ben bit the inside of his cheek. He couldn't believe that she'd be captured like that. Summer was too strong to be captured, yet… Ben imagined her bound up in a rope coil. It was certainly possible…

"No. She has to be around here somewhere…"

"Ben. Being separated from your partner and washin' up here has probably made you a little unsure, but don't you worry none," Booker consoled, seeing Ben's usual emotionless face become solemn. He patted Ben on the back, knocking him forward a bit. "I'm here, and so is energetic little Ralph and my apprentice Nick. You're not alone." Ben's face didn't change. "And Ukulele Pich can soothe you with its cheery music."

Ben was grateful for the attempt, but Booker couldn't make him feel better. He felt so hopeless and scared. He wanted to go home and hideaway. In fact, Ben even thought he was trembling a little. He couldn't leave, that was the scary part. Ben had to find Summer, no matter what. He would hate himself if she was in trouble and he didn't help her.

"Hmm? Here's Ukulele Pich?" Booker asked. Ben then noticed that Ukulele Pichu was nowhere to be seen.

In that moment, Ralph ran in and hugged Booker. "W-We've got big trouble!"

"Did your mom catch you playin' trick again?" Booker chuckled.

"No, that's not it! The UFOs are back! I saw them flying, one after another! Ranger, you have to stop them!"

Ben choked a little. He forgot that he'd have to do stuff like this. "W-Where did they go?" Ben stuttered.

"Toward Teakwood Forest! Arley went to see what's going on, but he hasn't come back."

"This is Arley we're talking about," Nick gasped. "He's incredibly strong, so… Perhaps he caught a UFO and was trying to crush it! Maybe they ended up hitting him with a shrinking ray? And then, and then…"

"Nick!" Booker boomed, snapping Nick out of it. "Knock off the pointless daydreams already! Ben… I'm sorry to ask favors when you're all shaken up, but… Could you go to Teakwood and see what's goin' on?"

Ben was silent.

"I'll come, too!" Ralph exclaimed. "I'm worried about Arley! He's big and strong but I was surprised when I heard how old he was. He's, like, really old."

_New Mission!_

_New Mission!_

Ben sulked as he had no way out of this one.

_Protect Arley, who went to investigate in Teakwood Forest, from the Pokemon Pinchers!_

"Where's your Ranger pose?" Ralph asked. "I thought Rangers posed when they got new missions."

Ben never made a Ranger pose, but Ralph looked at him with such a gleam in his eye that Ben couldn't say no. Ben backflipped and held up his styler.

"Woah!" Ralph gushed. "You're so cool!"

Ben blushed. No one had ever told him he was cool before. In fact, he really didn't know how to be cool like Summer. He sighed and headed out.

* * *

**Hello**

**So these two chapters are a sneak-peek version of the story. I'll continue once I finish up the prequel, Hellomeetcha! There's about a chapter or two left in that, so expect an update in a week or so!**

**Don't forget to review!**

**Peace (ᴗ ͜ʖ ᴗ)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or Pokemon Ranger.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Arley the Lumberjack**

Cocona Village was a quiet, tropical town with several monuments covered in green moss. The people were easy-going, Ben's type of person. They had glanced at Ben as he and Ralph walked by, but not the way he was used to. They looked at him with wonder.

Teakwood Forest was this damp, jungle-like forest with bugs and humid air. The Pokemon seemed frightened and ran away from the pair, much to Ben's relief.

"You look annoyed," Ralph said observantly. "That isn't saying much considering you really are a hard guy to read, Ben."

Ben glanced to the side. What was he even supposed to say to that? Following the Pokemon Pinchers was easy. They were so loud about their new "Control Gauntlets" that Ben could simply follow the voice. Of course, the two had to hop a couple barriers, but now they stood outside a cave, listening to two Pokemon Pinchers chattering.

"I wonder how things are going with the secret team in the cave…"

"Who knows? Our job is just to guard this entrance. You shouldn't be thinking about anything else." Pichu jumped from a tree and glared daggers. That Pokemon sure had some spunk. "What's with this thing? Got a ukulele on its back like it could actually play…"

"I've seen it before! It got away from me recently!"

The Pokemon Pincher suddenly had a sick smile that made Ben hide more. "Could it be…? Did it chase us here because we caught its friends?"

The other one scoffed. "Do Pokemon even feel friendship?"

"You can see your friends. So just stand still, and let me pinch me."

Pichu got ready to zap them. The Pokemon Pinchers tried to pinch Pichu, but Pichu was much too agile. Ben was impressed by the Pokemon's moxy. When the two caught up to pinch Pichu, Ralph jumped out shouting, "No!"

Ben hid deeper into the shrubs. Maybe Ralph should be the Ranger. Ben wanted to just run away.

"Kid, would you just leave us alone here…"

"I've got a super-cool, fearless Ranger with me to stop you guys," Ralph gushed. He looked to check for Ben behind him, but he wasn't there.

"Kid… I'm pretty sure the only Ranger in Oblivia is some old man…"

"No way," the other Pincher laughed. "I see anyone one, but he's hiding. Ha! What a joke! Buizel! Croagunk! Charge!"

Ben jumped out, exposed. With sloppy form, Ben attempted the capture the Pokemon. It was relatively easy, but Ben was so nervous that it took a bit longer than it needed. Ben sighed when the Pokemon were captured.

"How embarrassing…"

"This is too much! Some scrawny kid just showed up and took us out!"

After the Pokemon Pinchers fled, Ralph rushed to Pichu. "Pichu, are you okay?" Pichu still looked determined and rushed into the cave. "Um, Pichu?" Ralph squeaked out.

Ben followed Ralph inside the cave. It was easy to navigate, but there were these pits that seemed to never end in the darkness. Ralph was leading the way with bravery while Ben followed quietly.

"I've told you not to come in here!" Ben jumped by the echo of the voice. It was a very mature and powerful voice.

Ralph turned around with a smile. "That's Arley's voice. Come on!"

Ben chased after Ralph as he weaved around, eventually standing in front of a monster of a man. Arley had to be at least seven feet tall, towering over Ben. He had mean eyes, narrowed and ready to attack. Ben was on edge around him, granted he was always on edge, but this was different. He had long gray hair in thick locks around his face and a thick scar that ran down from the top of his forehead to the middle of his cheek.

"Ralph?!" Arley boomed with Pichu at his side. "I've told you not to come in here! It's too dangerous!" Arley turned to look at Ben who cowered a little. "What's this…? Based on how you look, I'll bet you're a Pokemon Ranger."

"You didn't come back, and I was really, really worried!" Ralph exclaimed, hugging Arley. "This Ranger has come to Oblivia so I asked for some help to look for you together."

Arley narrowed his eyes. "I see. Sorry to get angry with you. But, I'm okay. Being a lumberjack has made me very strong. I came up here to see what these guys are up to. They seem to need something from the Monument deep in this cave. It looks like they're only investigating the Monument while a rather powerful Pokemon is lured away."

Ben frowned when he said powerful Pokemon. Pichu jumped away and ran deeper into the cave. Without thinking Ben chased after the Pichu, leaving Arley and Ralph. Ben heard people shouting and running around. Right as Ben arrived, he witnessed a Pincher throw Pichu, smashing its ukulele.

"Arrogant Pokemon," a Pincher laughed. "That's what you get. No good will come of capturing you. Stop looking at me. Get out of here!"

"Hey!" Ben shouted in a weak voice. That was the loudest Ben had spoken in a while.

The Pincher turned and panicked. "It can't be! A Pokemon Ranger?"

"How could you do that to a Pokemon?" Ben said quieter.

"Whatever could you be talking about? I already have the emblem, so what the heck? Cranidos! Give them a taste of a headbutt!"

Ben didn't notice the Cranidos charge and headbutt him in the back. Ben fell forward and then regained his balance. He was able to capture the Cranidos easily because of how disoriented it was after nailing Ben in the back.

He turned around to glare at the Pincher, but the Pincher had already fled. His back ached like crazy. Ralph walked up and picked up Pichu's broken ukulele. "The Ranger taught the bad guy who broke your ukulele a lesson."

There was a low, ominous growl from deeper in the cave. Ben got goosebumps when there was a quiet yelp and then a tremendous roar. Ben's hair became static and the air became cold. Ben saw a flash of a yellow Pokemon. It was unmistakable.

"Wasn't that the legendary Pokemon Raikou?" Ben whispered.

"I didn't see it. That would be really lucky if you did," Ralph responded. "Pichu's ukulele was broken…"

Pichu scowled and snatched the pieces from Ralph. He then dashed away into the cave. Ralph's face became sad.

"Those disrespectful simpletons. I thought they were only investigating the Monument," Arley stated while walking up to a stone tablet that had the middle of it taken out.

"Hey, Arley," Ralph started. "What was written on the monument anyway?"

"I can't read it, because it was written in letters from long, but I've heard that something about Raikou was written on it."

"Do you think the writing has something to do with that story, 'Raikou and the Hero of Oblivia'?"

Arley huffed. "Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. That's not something I would know."

Ralph turned to Ben. "I'm sure it does! I heard about that legend from Booker. Thanks for driving off the Pinchers, Ben! I already know what Rangers say at a time like this! That was an excellent Mission Clear, Ranger!

* * *

The next day, Ben, Arley, and Ralph stood in Cocona Village. Ben was sore from the bad landing in Oblivia, the headbutt from Cranidos, and the new workouts that Booker had Ben do. It was primarily moving wood back and forth.

"Rub this medicine on your wounds, and they will heal very soon. Please take care of yourself."

An old man smiled and said, "Thank you, Dr. Edward. Having you here is a huge help to us."

Dr. Edward turned and walked towards the three. He looked very posh and proper. His ddoctor'scoat was freshly bleached and his gray hair was slicked into a soft wave. As the doctor walked closer, Ben noticed his calculating eyes. Dr. Edward was a kind looking man.

"Dr. Edward," Arley said kindly. "How have you been?"

"You're looking as muscular as ever. I'm impressed that you keep training daily at your age," Dr. Edward chuckled, his thick moustache moving slightly. He looked at Ben. "Who are you, young man?"

"This is Ben, a Pokemon Ranger," Ralph introduced. "He's kind of shy."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Dr. Edward said while holding out his hand to shake. "My name is Edward. I take care of sick and injured villagers all over Oblivia."

Ben took his hand to shake. "N-Nice to meet you."

"Is someone around here not feeling well?" Arley asked.

The old man explained, "I can still hardly believe it, even though I saw it with my own eyes, but the truth is… The Great Raikou was charging through the village. At the last second, I swiftly dodged Raikou's charge, but I got this scrape."

An old woman scowled and said, "Stop spinnin' lies, you. He was so surprised by Raikou's charge that his legs gave out. He only fell. More importantly, dear, when you saw the Great Raikou, was the Hero of Oblivia riding it?"

The old man rolled his eyes. "Come now, woman. Does anyone take that old legend seriously?"

"No need to argue," Arley added.

The old woman started to sing, "A deep, deep valley blocks the way. If you can cross, go ahead, I say. The scary valley likes to brag, 'No one can cross my rocky crags!' What nonsense speaks the silly valley? For Great Raikou, it's one bound. Hero on its back, just one bound."

"I haven't heard that in a long time," Dr. Edward added.

"I sang that all the time when I was little," the old woman added. "Oh, how I wanted to meet Raikou."

Ben cocked his head. Why would that sweet old lady want to meet such a terrifying Pokemon?

"It looked like Raikou was chasing those UFOs," the old man added. "Raikou looked really agitated."

Arley stood taller. "Sorry to interrupt the fun, but… I need to talk with Dr. Edward. Feats of strength are my strong point, but my back has been hurting recently. Could you take a look at it?"

"That's troubling. Okay, I'll examine you."

"Thanks for your help, Pokemon Ranger," Arley said while walking away with Dr. Edward.

Ralph walked up to the elderly couple and asked, "Have you seen a Pichu with a broken ukulele on its back?"

"I just saw that Pichu. It was running towards Booker's house."

"What? Really? We were just there. I'm worried about Pichu! Do you think it might be hurt?" He turned and grabbed Ben, dragging him away. "Ben! Let's go see!"

"Hmmm, I need a material with a good, straight grain to fix that ukulele, Pichu. It's hard to find and only available on Dolce Island. I hid it in a ticky place…"

"I can get it for you," Nick told Booker. "You know since everyone seems to be occupied…"

"You really should be occupied helpin' me build boats…but… Go ahead, but take Ben with ya. The boy needs more work on his hands. We don't want our new Ranger gettin' lazy on us."

"I'm not lazy…" Ben told Booker.

"Sure ya aren't, kiddo," Booker teased. "And I'm not an old coot."

Ben looked down at the ground. He really didn't think of himself as lazy, but sure… call him lazy…

* * *

**Hello**

**This coming week is going to be very busy for me, so let's hope I can crank out another update.**

**Don't forget to review.**

**Peace **( ° ͜ʖ °)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Shark Bait**

After Booker had fixed Ukulele Pichu's ukulele, he had recommended taking a visit to the other Area Ranger's home. Apparently, his name was Rand. Booker said that Rand was a good person to get to know.

Ben glanced up to look at Ukulele Pichu sitting on his head. Pichu decided that it wanted to become Ben's partner. Since Ben had no objections, the Pichu followed him around, hoping to find its friends. Ben was glad to finally have a Partner Pokemon. Partner Pokemon could help in dire situations. In fact, Pichu's music was so soothing that it helps with captures.

On Ben's way, he had stopped a few times to do his Ranger duty. It was simple work like knocking down fences and settling arguments. Ben figured he should make himself useful while staying at Booker's.

The decision to be helpful is what led to Ben standing on the beach, walking over to settle an argument between a girl named Nixie and another younger girl that he had never met before. She looked about fifteen.

"Even Lapras can't go into the depths of the ocean," Nixie told the girl with her thick Boyle Island accent.

The other girl's lips fell into a thin line until she saw Ben. She shifted her red-rimmed glasses. "What's this? Are you, perhaps, a Pokemon Ranger?"

The girl wore a white lab coat over her more teenager-like outfit. She had bobbed navy hair and big, curious eyes. She seemed like the type that would outsmart most people.

"That's Ben," Nixie answered. "He just arrived here a few days ago from the Ranger Union."

The girl stepped forward to inspect Ben, circling him while holding her chin. She was quite a bit shorter than Ben, but she had already intimidated him. "This is the first time I've ever seen another Ranger besides Dad in the in the Oblivia region." She paused, a smile forming on her face. "Are you good at swimming?"

"I guess," Ben added.

"I have a request. One of those UFOs fell into the ocean. I reeeeeally want to examine it. Could you find it and pull it up for me?" She didn't let ben answer. "You have to, 'cause on this island, there is a rule that you must grant up three wishes of any girl who is younger than you. This is the first of those requests."

Ben sighed, knowing that he could get out of this one.

_There is a danger of an oil leak polluting the water. We should probably investigate the UFO that sank into the ocean. _

Now there was really no way he could get out of this one. The girl looked like she was in love, but with his Styler.

"Do you think I could look at that when you come back? I'm fascinated by things like that."

* * *

Ben put the goggles over his eyes as he prepared to jump into the ocean. Lapras had taken him to the site while the girl and Nixie waited on shore with Pichu.

The water was warm and clear, but Ben's Voice Navigator had told him that the object that was the bottom of the sea floor. There was colorful coral everywhere as Ben swam deeper in slow strokes.

The water Pokemon paid him no attention as they swam around in their own way. The current pulled him deeper until he saw the UFO lodged in the side of an underwater cliff. There was a harsh bubble current that stopped Ben from reaching the oily object. Ben noticed the crumbling wall and kicked until a piece fell down that blocked the current.

_Unable to detect any seawater pollution. _

An angry Kingdra stopped Ben before he could grab it. The Kingdra whisked Ben away and then knocked the UFO into the dark part of the water.

_At this rate, there is a real danger that an oil leak will occur. Pursue Kingdra and prevent any damage to the ocean._

Ben sighed and then paddled as fast as he could. As he chased Kingdra, Ben's arms burned. It didn't help that Kingdra knocked him back into the wall with a whirlpool. It didn't help that the rocky edge jabbed the bruise on Ben's back from when Cranidos slammed him.

Ben held on to the falling rock and knocked it away from Kingdra. The UFO fell deeper into the darkness. Kingdra fled as Ben recoiled from the pain. He watched as he couldn't see it anymore.

_The UFO has separated from Kingdra and is currently falling toward the ocean floor. You have reached a depth that sunlight cannot reach. _

Ben could no longer see his own hands, but he knew that Chinchou usually lived that this depth. They emit a yellow light from their bulbs. The crashed vehicle should shine red if he could remember correctly. Ben just needed to focus on the red light and get out of there, but Sharpedo usually shines red too.

Ben swam towards a red light and reached out, but the red light was rough to the touch. Ben froze as a Sharpedo opened its jaws. Ben quickly clamped the Sharpedo with his hands, causing its teeth to lodge into Ben's hands. If he could yell, he would.

The Sharpedo spun Ben helplessly along as he held on for dear life. Ben had forgotten the crucial information that Sharpedo are extremely territorial. Sharpedo pinned Ben to the wall and pushed.

Ben attempted to capture the Sharpedo as it tried to bite him. With a sudden burst of power, Ben shoved Sharpedo off and completed the capture. Ben felt weak as the glow of the Sharpedo showed the blood coming from his hands.

The calmed Sharpedo showed the way towards the UFO.

* * *

"Is this the UFO?" Nixie said in awe. "It looks like a scooter."

Ben was too busy looking at his bleeding hands to respond. He could have picked any occupation, but this is was the one he picked. In fact, he could have been an Operator. Ben had to brains for it.

The girl stepped towards it and touched the metal. "So apparently, this isn't of extraterrestrial origin. Besides, if you look here… It says Z.Z Flyer 08."

Pichu started to get riled up. It jumped and beat on the broken machine.

"Pichu, what's wrong? It looks like Pichu really has something against these Z.Z Flyers, or whatever they're called…" She turned and smiled. "Thank you for listening to my request, Ranger! Could you do a Mission Clear for me?"

Ben was starting to get irritated. Not only was he soaking wet with Pichu sitting on him, zapping him, but he was also in a lot of pain. "C-Could I please get some bandages? I'm bleeding a lot over here."

"Oh my, your hand! I didn't notice!" she said while grabbing Ben's injured hands. "It looks like you fought a Sharpedo!"

"Well… I did."

Her eyes got big. "Wow, you're amazing."

"I'm really not," Ben said in a quiet voice.

"Of course you are. Do you know how hard it is to…?"

"Hold open a Sharpedo's jaws?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "That's impressive. My name's Nema, by the way. My dad's a Ranger. Would you like to meet him?"

* * *

Ben had Dr. Edward stitch it up. Dr. Edward had mentioned that the scars will fade in a few months after the stitches were taken out. Ben had to keep his hands heavily bandaged until for a couple of days.

Nema led Ben and Pichu to her house, but there was an explosion. Nema ran forward and it was a house with Ranger symbols on it. Ben assumed it was her house.

"Oh no! My house is on fire! I often cause little fires when my experiments fail, but I can't believe it happened when I wasn't home! I feel a little better because Mom and Dad are out but… Ben?"

Nema looked back and only saw the broken Z.Z Flyer on the ground where Ben had been standing.

"Wow, I know he's quiet, but that's a whole new level," Nema chuckled.

Ben came back with three Buizels following behind him. Nema would have thought he was pretty cool if he hadn't tripped and face-planted into the dirt. He recovered fast and ran into the house.

"Buizels, take out the fire," Ben ordered.

There was smoke as the Buizels smothered the fire with water. Nema walked inside with shame with the Z.Z Flyer on her back as the Buizels left after doing their job.

"Thank you so much, Ben. The fire really made a mess of my room, so I'll just put the Z.Z Flyer here. I'll investigate the Z.Z Flyer and tell you if I find anything," Nema told him. "I might not look like it, but I'm a scientist."

"I-Is that so?" Ben added quietly.

"I'm really glad you were with me. There's no way I could put out a big fire like that out myself. You're a good Ranger with good instincts."

"Oh no, I'm not really a good Ranger. My… um… there are better Rangers out there," Ben stammered, scratching at his static hair.

"Well, I'm working on a machine that will take out those bad guys," Nema started, not really wanting to address Ben's comment. "Most of my work got burned up in that fire, but it's okay. I can work on it again."

"How are you so positive?" Ben asked.

"If I can go it once, I can do it again!" Nema announced.

_Bibi… zzzzzzz…. Voice… zzzz…. _

Nema grabbed Ben's wrist and examined it. "I've been curious about this for a while. Your Styler is different than my dad's. It talks. It doesn't seem to be working very well, though."

"It broke when I fell out of the sky," Ben said plainly.

Nema glanced up to look at him. "You fell out of the sky?"

"Um… Yeah…."

"Can I borrow your Styler for a second? I want to look at the insides."

"Um…"

"What? Don't look so worried. It's me, Nema! It'll be fine!"

She said it like they were old friends. Ben really wasn't the trusting type, but Nema looked at him with these big, doe eyes. If she had broken his Styler then maybe he could go home, but he didn't want to go home without Summer.

Ben slowly took off his Styler and handed it to Nema. Nema's eyes started to sparkle as she looked at it. "Wow! This is amazing! I've never seen circuitry like this!" She held it at different angles. "Ooh, it looks like seawater got in it through this gap," Nema sang. "With a little blast of air and a little bit of grease… And this area here…"

Nema tinkered with Ben's Styler. He started to get nervous and closed his eyes. Pichu pulled at his hair and zapped him, making him open his eyes in shock.

"It's fixed," Nema told him while handing back his styler. "Try setting it on your arm."

_Beep! Beep! Beep! Confirmed rebooting!_

"Now that your Styler is all fixed up," Nema started. "Let's go to Mt. Latolato. My dad should be there."

"Thanks…" Ben whispered.

* * *

**Hi**

**Here's another update. I'm on break so hopefully I can crank out a few more updates. **

**Don't forget to review!**

**Peace \\(.^.)/**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own a single thing about Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**High Voltage**

Not only was the trek to the Wireless Tower on Mt. Latolato a trek, but it was full of Pokemon Pincher goons that tried to challenge Ben. Ben was lucky that they were weak because he didn't really have the stamina to take on all of them.

He and Nema stood watching as a grown man in an older Ranger uniform marched up to a trio of Pinchers. He was a built man with slicked navy hair.

"You there!" he shouted him his deep voice. "What are you trying to do to the Wireless Tower?"

One of the Pinchers chuckled. "No one here is dense enough to answer that just because they're asked!"

"If you don't want to get hurt, old man, I recommend looking the other way."

Nema marched right up to the Pinchers and said, "My dad's no old man, you goons!" She turned to the Ranger. "Are you alright?"

Ben reluctantly followed. The Pinchers glanced at Ben and smiled. "It looks like the Old Ranger's backup has arrived. It's too bad. This one looks like a scared little kid. We'll just have to take them out all at once, then!"

An Aipom, Shunktank, and Gliscor jumped out to attack Ben. They must have wanted to take out the weak one first.

Ben jumped back to start capturing them while Pichu started to strum. The trio of Pokemon wasn't actually that hard to capture to Ben's surprise. He had really started to get the hang of this Ranger thing.

"Everything was going just fine until these intruders showed up," yelped a Pincher as the Pokemon fled. They all turned and scurried away.

Nema slyly smiled. "Dad, we have pretty good time, huh?"

The man Ben assumed was Rand yelled, "Nema, I've told you time and time again to not be so reckless!"

"But I… I thought that I would guide the Ranger who wanted to meet you," Nema said, deflated.

Rand turned to look at Ben. "I-I see… I'm sorry I yelled. For now, why don't you both come inside and talk." Rand pointed to some run-down shack.

The shack wasn't as messy on the inside, but Ben was still overwhelmed. There were two other people in the shack, a woman and a boy. Ben felt his nerves pick up as they all looked at him expectantly. If only Summer was here… She would know how to charm them.

Nema noticed his unease and coughed. "I'd like to introduce Ben, a Pokemon Ranger like you who helped me with two of my three requests. He's quite reliable."

Ben held his normally emotionless face, but he wanted to scoff. He wouldn't describe himself as reliable.

Rand frowned. "Were you three requests really just three selfish demands?"

"They weren't selfish! Lightning hit our house, and it was on fire! Ben put it out!" Nema explained.

"Wait," Rand said slowly. "Our house was on fire?" His face turned angrier. "That happened while I was out! Are both of you okay?"

Nema turned to Ben with a smile, completely ignoring her dad. "Ben, that hothead is my dad."

"Hothead?" Rand grumbled. "Anyway, I'm Rand, the Area Ranger for the Oblivia region. I'm originally from Hia Valley. Thank you very much for putting out the fire. If you hadn't been there..."

Nema pointed to a tall lady with wild navy hair in a thick bun. She had smart, calculating eyes like Nema. "This pretty lady is my mom," Nema explained. "She might not look like it, but she's an archeologist. Oblivia is full of ruins, so my mom is very busy."

"I'm Leanne. Nice to meet you. As Nema said, this Oblivia region has many fascinating ruins. I'm researching the relationship between the legends of Oblivia and the actual ruins. Put simply, I'm researching whether these legends are simply fabrications of the ancients or something else entirely. Also…"

"Mom!" Nema cut off. "That's too much info! Keep your introductions to a minimum."

Ben was actually quite intrigued by what Leanne had to say. He was always interested in the old legends and mythologies of different regions. When Ben would be bored in Ranger School or be skipping class, he would be found in the library, reading old, dusty books in the back corner. His favorite regional mythology was from Sinnoh, but Almia's was cool too. In fact, Ben didn't really know much about Oblivia's mythology.

"I-I guess that's so," Leanne said. "Ben, where are you from?"

Ben was quiet, afraid to answer. Nema noticed his distress and started, "Ben, really isn't much of a talker."

"Haruba Village," Ben said quietly.

"What did you say?" Rand asked, not quite hearing him.

"Haruba Village," Ben said a little bit louder.

Rand got quiet. "Oh," was all that he could say. It wasn't really a good thing to be from Haruba Village. Haruba Village was known to be full of casinos and a late night hub. "Well, you certainly look like you're from Haruba Desert with that tan skin of yours. By the way, the Ranger Union told me before that they were sending two Rangers here, but… What happened to the other one?"

"Summer…" Ben said sadly.

Nema looked at him with surprise. For the short time that she had known him, Nema had only seen Ben's face neutral, but now he looked sad.

"Summer?" Leanne questioned.

"Summer is my partner," Ben started. "She and I started off together but I was shot out of the sky by some Pokemon Pinchers. I don't know where Summer is, but she's strong, so I know she's okay. She's the talented one."

Rand sighed. "So, that's what happened… You must be very worried about your partner. But then again, your partner is a well-trained Pokemon Ranger. Summer is the daughter of Kellyn, an old friend of mine. She's got Ranger in her blood."

"Is it possible to communicate with the Ranger Union?" Ben asked. "Maybe Summer has communicated with them."

"The Wireless Tower has been taken over by the Pokemon Pinchers," Rand started. "We can't talk to the Union while the Tower is occupied. I want your help taking the Wireless Tower back."

Before Ben could run away, a big mechanic worker walked in, clearly had been zapped with a lot of electricity.

"Burkhart?" Rand called out.

"I just snuck… zzt… into the Wireless Tower. There was electricity everywhere," Burkhart explained. "Then I got shocked and it seems like I'm still carrying a charge. Zzt?"

Ben really, really didn't want to go up that tower now. He was scared to get zapped like that.

Burkhart looked at Ben. "The backup Rangers arrived? Buzzzt.. Oh, I just thought of something. Would you like me to charge your styler with the excess electricity."

Burkhart rushed towards Ben. Ben jumped back and backpedaled towards the wall in panic. Pichu jumped in front of Ben to stop Burkhart. "Please, don't," Ben told him. "That would totally wreck my Styler."

"I'll let you be, just this once," Burkhart told him with a hearty laugh. "I still thought it was a good idea though."

Rand patted Ben on the shoulder. "Be careful not to get shocked as Burkhart did."

* * *

Ben had gotten shocked several times on the way up. Rand had done a good job directing them in the safest route, but Ben was simply clumsy. Ben's job was to take out the Pokemon Pinchers as they popped up. In fact, Ukulele Pichu found one of its Pichu buddies.

Rand and Ben stood at the top level of the Wireless Tower. The wind was unbearable and threatened to knock Ben over. Of course, Rand was much sturdier and held his ground.

Ben trembled. He had heard the Pokemon Pinchers talk about Raikou's fury. He had a bad feeling that Raikou would be making an appearance very soon. Perhaps it was the static energy in the air or the fact that Ben had been shocked several times.

"We messed with the frequency and cut off the power," said the silky yet firm voice of a woman about Ben's age. "But, to be safe, we should probably take out the antenna, too. That way, they won't be able to communicate with anyone for a long while."

"Leader!" shouted one of the Pokemon Pinchers.

The woman turned with disgust. "You're late," she said roughly. "Did you get that Emblem?"

"Yes, here it is!"

"Good work!"

The leader woman was certainly scary to Ben, but a lot of things were scary to him. She had fringed, blonde hair in a bob with one lock a light blue color.

"Thank you, leader!" the Pincher said gratefully. "But, we have two small problems… Actually, they're nothing that major… One is that the Pokemon Rangers made it up here. The other is…" There was a sudden change in pressure. "...Raikou is standing right there."

Raikou appeared in a flash of lightning. Raikou stood with authority, hovering viciously over the leader. Its ivory-colored fangs reflected her fearful face. Raikou held such a pressure that even Ben felt like collapsing.

"What have those numbskulls done?!" the leader panicked, her piercing blue eyes widening at the sight of Raikou. "They brought Raikou right to us!"

Raikou roared as its coat charged with electricity. A bolt of lightning crashed right where the leader was standing before she jumped out of the way.

She huffed, "It was next of Raikou to break the antenna." The antenna was completely broken by the blast. "At this rate, it might be best to go…"

Ben was okay with letting her run away, but Rand jumped out of hiding. "You must be the leader of the Pinchers! What have you been doing here?"

She slowly turned around to glare at Rand and Ben. Her doll-like face was plastered with disapproval. "You're one step behind, Pokemon Ranger. Raikou broke your precious antenna."

Rand grit his teeth. "So you're controlling Raikou, huh?"

She scoffed and twisted her hair in a bored manner. "Oh, please. I'm no Ranger. There's no way I could control Raikou. Actually, I doubt you and 'Skin-and-Bones' over there would have trouble controlling a force of nature like Raikou." She tilted her head to the side. "At any rate, we destroyed the Wireless Tower, so our work here is done. There's no reason for me to hang around, so, ta-ta!"

"Wait!" Rand shouted, but she had flown away on her blue Z.Z Flyer. Rand relaxed a little and turned to Ben. "I hate to let her get away, but we have to calm Raikou down first!"

Ben looked down to see Pichu charging at Raikou. Ben ran after it yelling, "Pichu! Get away! It's too dangerous!"

Pichu attempted to play music over Raikou, but Raikou roared in response. It tried to shock Pichu, but Pichu jumped back on Ben's shoulder. Ben was more scared at that moment than he had been in his entire life. In front of him stood Raikou with killing intent.

Raikou stepped forward while Ben stepped back. "R-Rand? I'm scared… Can you capture this thing?" Ben said quietly.

Rand attempted to step forward to challenge Raikou, but Raikou roared and sent a bolt down on Rand, backing him up. "I'm afraid this one is on you, Ben."

Ben felt his eyes water as Raikou's eyes glared into Ben's as it stalked him like prey. Ben raised his styler, but Raikou roared. Raikou seemed to be waiting for something since Ben would be easy to take out. He kept wondering what Raikou was waiting for. Just finish him.

Ben remembered meeting Kellyn for a brief moment in his childhood. He remembered how cool Kellyn looked in his Top Ranger uniform. When Kellyn was a bit younger than Ben, he had taken on an entire organization and Darkrai. If Kellyn could survive getting dragged into the void, then Ben could be brave against Raikou.

At that moment, Ben started to capture Raikou. Raikou covered itself with lightning as Ben tried to gracefully spin his Styler around. Pichu played its music right next to the legendary Pokemon. Raikou sprinted around, hailing the ground with bolts of lightning. Ben couldn't actually hear anything. He was too focused on Raikou and too scared to mess up.

Raikou got really close to Ben and knocked him down with its paw. It hovered over him, growling menacingly. Ben felt like crying but continued to spin his Styler. Ben felt electricity pass through him. He could smell something burning, and he was pretty sure it was him.

He then saw a light. A blinding, yellow light covered Ben's vision. He assumed that he had died and that was the afterlife, but a symbol appeared in the sky. He could never forget that sign. Raikou backed up off of him and kneeled.

_Register the sign in your Styler._

Raikou fled as Ben frantically registered the sign in his Styler. He felt a sudden kinship to Raikou, like a piece of him was now with Raikou. Ben felt no more fear.

"Did you see that light?" Ben asked Rand, who was in shock to see the scrawny Ranger capture such a powerful Pokemon.

"No? Ben, what's wrong? You're staring off into space," Rand told him.

"I feel… a sort of connection to Raikou. It's like we were meant to meet," Ben said breathlessly, smoke coming off of him. "I saw a floating figure."

"I didn't see anything," Rand explained. "Are you sure you aren't seeing things since you got shocked so badly."

"Raikou would never hurt me," Ben defended.

Rand was looking at Ben like he was crazy. "That's odd because I saw Raikou beating on you pretty bad. At any rate, we successfully calmed down Raikou. And we managed to liberate the Wireless Tower, which was our original were able to do that because of you. You continue to belittle yourself, but I don't see the reason. Mission Clear!"

* * *

**Hey**

**I promised I'd grind out another one, so here it is. **

**Please review everyone! I want to know if people are enjoying this!**

**Peace ({*.*})  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Great Leaps**

Ben and Rand had chased the slowest of the Pinchers all the way to Hinder Cape. Ben gasped for breath, while Rand was completely fine. He still felt weird about the whole Raikou situation. He told Leanne, and she simply said "interesting." When Ben and Rand had caught up to them at the Big Booker Bridge, the two Pinchers hid behind the leader in red that shot Ben out of the sky. Ben scowled at the confident man.

"These were the two we were just talking about," one of them cried. "They chased us all the way here!"

The man in red smiled crookedly. "I'm not the leader of your team, but of course I'll help you out. Just leave this to me. You two just flee."

The Pinchers didn't need to be told twice as they scattered, calling out, "Okay! That's what we'll do."

The man in red smiled at Ben, "You, the skinny Ranger. I thought you looked familiar from somewhere. You looked like some scared little kid the last time I saw you. I'm impressed to see that you've toughened up a little, but still, you look like a twig. Falling from the sky must have really beefed you up. I'm really shocked to see you alive."

Rand looked ready to attack. "So you're the one who attacked them in the clouds!"

"Where is my partner, Summer?" Ben demanded.

"Wow, you've got a booming voice when you try," the man in red chuckled. "Sorry. Can't tell you. Especially because you're a Pokemon Ranger."

Ben started to charge at the man in red, but Rand stopped him. "If you lay a hand on her, I'll…"

The man in red laughed. "You've got a bark, but I wonder if you have the bite? I'll take pity on you and tell you just one thing: Summer… She's safe."

Ben stopped thrashing. Rand frowned. "I can't believe you managed to capture a Ranger"

"That stubborn Ranger has given me some trouble, but no need to worry. She stopped being a bother once we tied her up real tight." He paused to see Ben's reaction. "I'm just kidding. We haven't done anything savage like that. We are treating our guest with appropriate respect."

"Good," Ben whispered.

"Well," the man in red started. "There's work to be done, so I'll be going. I'd like to give you my goodbye present. Here, enjoy!"

Ben pulled Rand back as four Voltorb were summoned by the man in red. As he made his exit, the Voltorb self-destructed, creating a huge hole in the bridge.

Ben turned to Rand, "At least we know Summer's safe."

* * *

"We can't get to Mitonga Island with the bridge like this," Rand said gruffly. "For now, let's regroup."

"We're home!" Rand called out, tiredly.

Nema jumped and hugged Rand. "Welcome back!"

"You two look tired and disappointed," Leanne noticed.

"When we were chasing the Pinchers, we met another leader besides the one at the Wireless Tower. He violently destroyed the Big Booker Bridge that goes to Mitonga Island."

Leanne slammed her fist on the table, shocking Ben. "That's terrible. They were trying to trap the Rangers on this island, then. We can't go by ship because the current is too strong."

"I haven't seen any Staraptor lately. They could maybe help if we could find one," Rand explained.

"I guess the only thing left is to repair the Big Booker Bridge. Rand, will you ask Booker to fix it? He did design it, after all," Leanne added.

"Yeah, I'm on it," Rand said softly.

"Ben," Leanne said sharply. "After you captured Raikou, you mentioned something about seeing a figure appear, right?"

"Yes. I felt a connection to Raikou," said Ben.

"Do you remember the shape?"

"It's burnt into my memory."

Rand crossed his arms. "I didn't see a thing. Are we positive this isn't a part of Ben's imagination, no offense? I mean. Ben got seriously shocked during his encounter."

"Really?" Leanne said slowly, completely ignoring Rand. "Can you show me the figure?" Ben showed Leanne the figure from his Styler. "It's like some kind of Emblem. There is something curious about this. I'll go do a little research on it."

* * *

Ben returned a day later. After explaining to Booker what had happened, Booker rushed off, not to be seen for the rest of the night. Ben felt at ease to be in bed sleeping, but he promised to be back to hear what Leanne had to say.

"I don't understand everything yet, but I know the meaning of the figure," explained Leanne. "First, I want you to hear this. This is what is inscribed on Rasp Cavern's Monument. 'O Chosen One, whose heart is one with Raikou. Draw the Emblem of Light, Holding it towards the heavens, And Raikou shall assist thee.' In other words, that figure is a symbol of Raikou's approval."

"Raikou's? Approval?" Ben slowly whispered.

"So, drawing that Emblem in the sky lets you receive Raikou's help," Leanne continued. She raised a finger to her cheek and smiled. "Doesn't that remind you of something?"

"A capture…"

"Exactly," Leanne praised. "I wonder if we can use the Styler to call Raikou, just like the Hero of Legend did in the past?"

"I'm not sure my Styler functions like that," Ben said bashfully.

Nema came strolling out and said, "I think we very well could with a minor modification. I built a special circuit to add to your Styler."

"I-I'll get in trouble with the Union for doing something like that," Ben stammered.

"Oh, please," Nema giggled. "If you think Rangers don't update their Styler on a normal bias, then you're blind." She grabbed Ben's Styler and slid a chip into it. "Maybe parts taken from the broken Z.Z Flyer will be useful." She handed it back.

"I'm going to call in Sign Mode," Ben told her.

Nema grabbed Ben by the wrist and dragged him outside. "We got to check this out. I want to see if it works."

"Try to call Raikou," Leanne encouraged.

Ben gulped and drew the sign. In a flash of lightning, Raikou appeared before Ben. Ben pet Raikou as he jumped onto its back. Nema and Leanne were speechless. Ben had just summoned a legendary Pokemon right before their eyes.

"I don't believe what I just saw," Leanne gasped. "I just can't believe it. There really was a Hero in Oblivia's past."

Nema cheered. "Alright, Ben! You're so cool! Just wait until Summer sees you!"

Ben blushed a little at that comment. Being with Raikou made Ben feel brave and whole. Raikou understood his thoughts. He could hear Raikou speaking to him in his mind. Raikou's fur was static, shocking Ben to the touch, but it didn't hurt.

"Mom, Ben must have a pure heart to be able to connect with Raikou like that," Nema added. "That must be it! Ben's awesome!"

Leanne smiled warmly and giggled, "Oh, Nema."

"I'm going to chase after the Pinchers with Raikou and Pichu," Ben suddenly said. His face was determined. "That song about Raikou… It mentions Raikou's leaping ability. We can jump the gap in the bridge and chase after them."

Nema and Leanne snapped their heads to look at him. "Ben…" Nema whispered. "Where'd the sudden bravery come from?"

Ben swallowed hard. "I… I don't know, but… I need to stop them, and… Summer… she's so close."

Nema smiled like a deviant. "Ben… Do you?… Nevermind. Go get them."

Ben and Raikou took off. Raikou ran at high speeds that Ben could never reach on foot. As they approached the bridge, Booker waved them down.

"Ben? Is that you, kiddo? You're the Hero of Oblivia!" Booker shouted. "You're lookin' mighty sharp with Raikou. It must have been those exercises I've been makin' ya do."

"T-Thanks, Booker, but I got to go."

Raikou jumped the gaps with ease. When he landed on the other side and dismounted, letting Raikou flee, a random woman ran up to him in shock.

"It's like the Hero of Oblivia had risen again. Oh, wow, it's that… that thing! The Emblem! You'll bring peace to Oblivia! Except the Hero was riding the Great Entei…"

"The Great Entei?" Ben repeated. On Mitonga Island, the Hero must have been riding Entei instead of Raikou. The tale must vary from island to island.

Tilt Village was very similar to its namesake, tilted. The houses were built on the edge of a rocky cliff, making Ben walkways were curvy and hard to follow. The air was more humid on Mitonga Island. It reminded him of what Boyle Island was like.

"Ben?" said a familiar voice.

"Murph?"

"Found you!" he said happily. "I arrived here on The Union a few moments ago. How do you like Tilt Village? These houses are built on a slanting cliff. The Union is moored at the port in the lower end of town."

"Why'd you ride a boat all the way here?" Ben asked.

"Actually… Professor Hastings gave me a job. He told me to sail The Union here, but I don't really understand why. Oh, yes! I have a message for you from Professor Hastings. It was… Top Ranger Kellyn has obtained some information."

"T-Top Ranger Kellyn?" Ben choked.

"Yeah, Summer's dad," Murph exclaimed, not getting the hint. "Some suspicious characters have been spotted at the libraries throughout various regions. They've been searching for information about Oblivia's legends. A book that they have interest in is located on Mitonga Island. The title of the book is… The author's name is Amun."

"Okay, so we need to find that book," Ben responded.

"I've never heard you talk so much," Murph giggled. "Oh, the title is 'Legends of the Oblivia Region.'"

"I've heard of the author Amun," Ben explained. "He spent his entire life working on one book. That must be it."

"You're surprisingly smart," Murph said seriously, causing Ben to flinch. "His mansion is on Mitonga Island. I want to let Professor Hastings know I'm safe. Can I use your Styler?"

"The Wireless Tower was destroyed. We can't contact them."

"Are you serious?! Murph shouted, getting everyone's attention. "Did someone spill their juice on the tower?"

"Um… No…"

"Well, there's three of us here, so we'll be okay. By the way, where's Summer?"

Ben paused. He couldn't look Murph in the eye. "Summer was captured by the Pokemon Pinchers. I got shot out of the sky right as we arrived a week and a half ago. I've been told she's safe, but I hope she's okay."

Murph paused, not exploding like Ben thought he would. "No, I know she's okay. A strong-willing girl like her will definitely be fine. Even if she's imprisoned, she is probably finding out a lot of information for us. Summer has been highly trained." Murph got close to Ben and said, "Don't let Kellyn or Rhythmi know because they'll get over here faster than you can say pudding."

"I believe that," Ben said.

"For now, let's investigate the town for some time. We could find clues about Summer or the mansion."

"Okay."

"I must say, Ben, Professor Hastings has been right to send you on this assignment. You've changed so much over the week and a half. Why, you've even gotten quite muscular," Murph teased.

"I've done a lot of chores for people and the man I've been staying with has been making me work out," Ben said bashfully.

"Well, keep at it," Murph told him.

There was a commotion as they started to walk. It was a magician. Ben hated magicians. He saw a lot of those in the streets of Haruba Village, and they were bad news. The idea of magic was cool, but the magicians only wanted to steal money from the innocent bystander.

"Nothing up my sleeve but a hello!" the magician stated. "Welcome to my miraculous magic show. I'll be your guide to a mysterious world. My name is Hocus!"

Murph turned to Ben, "Oh, Ben! It's a magic show. Let's stay and watch. We might be a clue."

Hocus turned to Murph and Ben. "Would one of you like to volunteer? How about the darling little Pichu!"

Pichu jumped out in excitement. Pichu was always ecstatic for things like this.

"Well then, are you ready?!" Hocus called out. "One, two, three, and done!"

Pichu floated and then vanished. Ben jumped forward, looking for Pichu frantically. Ben was ready to punch Hocus in his pudgy face.

"Hocus, are you up to this?" said Dr. Edward with Pichu behind him.

"Hi, Edward. Nothing up my sleeve but a hello!" exclaimed Hocus. "Today, I have some Pokemon Rangers in the audience."

Dr. Edward turned to Ben. "Ranger, we meet again. How are your hands healing?"

"Well," Ben said quietly.

"Let me introduce myself to this new face," Edward said kindly. "My name is Edward. I'm a doctor. I go around the islands of Oblivia and examine people."

"I'm Murph from the Union PR," Murph said in a jolly tone.

"What brings a person from the Ranger Union to Oblivia," Edward asked politely, charming Murph.

"We're looking for something by Amun."

"I regret that I cannot be helpful in your research. I know nothing of Amun. If you'll excuse me, I need to examine people."

Murph turned and smiled. "What a pleasant man."

* * *

**Hey**

**Another quick update in one week! Let's see if I can do another one!**

**Don't forget to review! **

**Peace ( . )  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Hauntings**

It took three days to get enough information from the town people to reach the Old Mansion in the middle of Noir Forest. The travel through Noir Forest was taxing because of all of the ghost Pokemon that would play tricks on Murph and Ben.

"Did we have to come at night?" Murph asked, hiding behind Ben's tall figure as they walked in. "Is anyone here?"

The Old Mansion had a stale, old book smell to it. It was so still and quiet that Ben was unnerved by just standing there. The town people advised against going to the Old Mansion because they claimed it to be haunted.

The door slammed behind Murph. "Ben…" he whispered. "Did you just close the door?" He frantically yanked on the handle which didn't budge.

"I've just been standing here," Ben said offhandedly. "I guess the only way out is by going deeper in." Ben and Pichu turned and started to walk the halls.

Murph's face drained of color. "B-Ben? Why are you so calm!" he said while chasing after him.

"I wouldn't say I'm calm," Ben told him honestly. "I'm just unbothered by the ghost Pokemon. By the way, you have a Misdreavus following you."

Ben didn't turn to see Murph panic and swipe away the Pokemon. Having Murph there made Ben feel a little braver, or maybe it was the fact that Raikou had him feel stronger.

The Old Mansion looked as if it hadn't been used in a couple of hundred years. Dust covered every surface and cracks in the wooden floor led to an abyss. The only way to rack their movements were the footprints left on the ground by, what Ben assumed was, the Pinchers.

"Did you hear that?" Murph whispered. "I think my knees are going to start knocking. Seriously…"

The dining room was the creepiest of the rooms they navigated through. It was set for a dinner party, but there were no guests.

Murph laughed. "If this was a horror movie, the plates would come flying at us! That was called… a poltergeist phenomenon, right?"

On cue, a plate came hurling at Murph's head. With fast reflexes, Ben plucked it out of the sky before it made contact. Ben examined it as Murph mumbled something about Ben's reflexes. It had an ornate design of Roserade and Shaymin in the center of the plate. Ben was glad that beautiful dishes like didn't break. A plate smashed into Ben's shoulder, getting shards in his skin.

Murph screeched as all the plates then levitated. "We got to run! I can't take it anymore! This is too scary!"

Murph ran back the way they came and the door slammed right behind him. Ben ran in the other direction, following the footprints. By the time he had stopped running, he was in a place he wasn't familiar with, covered in cobwebs, dust, and his own blood. Ben stopped to take the shards out of his arm. He had just gotten his stitches out of his hands, so he hoped he didn't need more.

The wood floor was unstable as Ben slowly walked across. He had reached a private library. If the book was in this mansion, then ben must be on the right track. Ben heard a voice from behind the bookcase as he pressed his ear to the old wood. There was a book sticking out at an odd angle. Ben chuckled to himself. Could this Mansion be any more stereotypical?

Ben pressed the book and the shelf moved to the side, uncovering Murph.

"Ben?!" Murph exclaimed as he jumped to hug him. "I've missed you!"

"It's been maybe ten minutes."

"I know but I was worried," Murph said while glancing to Ben's right shoulder. "Your arm… I wish I packed bandages."

"Don't worry about it," Ben told him.

"I'm not sure how I got here. After I fell through the hole in the floor, I followed a dark road while rubbing my bruises, and I ended up here."

"Are you going to run away again?" Ben asked with a hint of humor.

"I won't run away anymore!"

Ben walked into the dark corridor and covered his nose. It reeked of mold and the general smell of old. Ariados crawled up and down the walls as Ben and Murph walked down the stairs. There were two Pokemon Pinchers at the bottom of the stairs with a Bayleaf and a Chikorita.

"A Ranger? Isn't that the one that one guy was warning us about," one of them said with a smile as the Pokemon launched. "He looks a little rough."

"Are you the people that broke a hole in the floor?" Murph scolded as Ben captured the Pokemon. He pointed his finger at them and scowled. "Do you know what I went through?"

"That loud noise must have been when he fell," one of them snickered. "Didn't we hear him crying?"

Ben stalked towards them as their Pokemon fled. The started to panic as he glared at them. "We weren't here for anything special! Amun's Mansion is supposed to have rare Pokemon!" They ran away into the next room.

Murph turned to Ben. "So this is Amun's Mansion! I was sixty percent sure it was. They're definitely after that book. Let's hurry after them." Murph rushed into the next room and shouted, "Playtime's over, you fiends!"

Ben followed him and stood in front of him. The room was an absolute mess. Books, pamphlets, and loose paper cluttered the floor. The woman in blue dropped the book she was holding and turned to look at the pair, annoyed.

"My, how brave," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Ranger, you must be Ben from Red Eyes' report. We met before at the Wireless Tower, didn't we? I didn't pay attention to you that much and hey… you're kinda cute."

"Who are you?" Ben asked slowly.

She smiled, her teeth painfully white. "I'm the blue leader of the Pokemon Pinchers. I'm known as Blue Eyes."

"But what's your real name?" Ben asked.

Blue Eyes' eyes narrowed. "Blue Eyes." Her face softened. "Do you mind if I ask you a question? The world's only copy of a book called 'Legends of the Oblivia Region' should be here. We've looked but can't find it. You have it, don't you?"

Murph exclaimed, completely charmed by her beauty, "We don't have it yet!"

She eyed the two of them. "From the looks of you two, I guess you really haven't found the book yet. That means we still have a chance. Meganium, teach these fools a lesson."

A huge Meganium charged at Ben. The Pokemon wrapped thorny vines around Ben's legs as he captured it. The Meganium raged towards Murph, but Ben caught its attention. Pichu was playing music to stop the Pokemon from becoming aggravated. Ben ripped the vines and captured Meganium.

As Meganium fled, Blue Eyes whispered. "I can't believe it. Red Eyes was right. You are extraordinary."

The Pinchers cowered behind Blue Eyes. "Our leader lost to a Ranger?"

"Shut it!" she barked. They had fled already. "So, they are just gonna leave me here? Those slimy…"

"You're coming with us," Ben told her. "Pichu, do your thing."

Pichu jumped on Blue Eyes. "W-What are you doing? Are you after your Pichu pals?" Without mercy, Pichu shocked her. "I-I-I hate shocks!" she cried. "Stop!"

When Pichu was done with her, Blue Eyes looked dazed and rigid. Murph chuckled. "Thanks, Pichu. We managed to capture their leader, thanks to you. We might be able to find out where your friends are!"

Ben towered over Blue Eyes. "Where's Summer?"

"Summer? Zzt…"

"My partner!" Ben yelled, scaring everyone in the room. "Where is she!?"

"I don't know! Zzt… That's something that Red Eyes knows!"

"You're lying," Ben grit out while narrowing his eyes. "Do you want another shock from Pichu?!"

"I promise I'm telling you all that I know," Blue Eyes told him with just as much aggression. "If I knew, maybe I'd tell you."

"Maybe?!"

Ben hadn't felt this mad in his entire life. His teeth her painfully clenched, and his fists were shaking. His hazel eyes were clouded in rage as he glared holes into Blue Eyes. Ben was surprised by his own outburst for Summer.

Murph raised his hands in mediation. "B-Ben… I'll take her to The Union while she's weak from the electric shock. You and Pichu can take your time heading back. You know… to calm down. Still, there are a lot of books here…"

"There's not a single worthwhile book in that pile," Blue Eyes told him.

Murph rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk. You made that mess! Still, I don't feel like there are any important books here." Murph picked up a random book. "Like this one." He read the title. "Um, 'Legends of the Oblivia Region.'"

"Murph!" Ben said with a smile.

"What did you just say now?" Blue Eyes said in disbelief.

"My dear Ben! This is the book we're looking for!" Murph cheered. "Sorry, I got too excited… I won't call you 'my dear' again."

Blue Eyes became flustered. "What have I done? Give me that book!"

"No," said Murph firmly. "There must be something in this book that's important for furthering the Pinchers' plans. I won't allow that. I'll just give Amun's book to Ben, then." He tossed the book to Ben. "Mission Clear, Ben."

* * *

Ben had returned to Murph the next morning with a report from Rand. He had given the book to Leanne to decode. The humid morning sun made Ben sweat as he, Raikou, and Pichu had arrived in front of The Union.

"Hey, welcome back!" Murph said cheerfully. He was a total morning person while Ben was not.

"Here's a report from Rand."

Murph grabbed it and skimmed the letter. "Hm… the extent of the damage is written in great detail. Since there is no spare antenna, it looks like it still takes a long time to fix."

"You're pretty good, Pokemon Ranger," said a voice from above. It was the man in red on his red Z.Z Flyer. Ben assumed it was Red Eyes since his eyes were a piercing red. "Kidnapping Blue Eyes is pretty impressive."

"I wouldn't call it a kidnapping," Murph told him. "It doesn't sound very nice. Who are you?"

Red Eyes chuckled. "I'm the red leader of the Pinchers. My name is Red Eyes," he said confidently. "You kidnapped Blue Eyes. She is a valuable associate. I want her back as soon as possible. There is little chance that you will just give her back, so I have a proposal."

"We will never work with you," Ben told him.

"Just wait for a second," Red Eyes told him. "I have a feeling you'd be interested. How about a prisoner swap? Your fellow Ranger, Summer, for my colleague Blue Eyes. There's no way you can say no." Red Eyes smiled devilishly.

"Fine," Ben told him.

"Okay! It's decided," Red Eyes announced. "I'll be waiting for you at Daybreak Ruins in two hours. You and Blue Eyes should come alone. If you bring anyone else with you, I can't guarantee Summer's safety."

"You've made your point clear, but I'm not coming without Pichu."

"Fine," Red Eyes said in an exasperated tone. "Bring your Pokemon. I really don't care about matters like that. You'd be useless without your Pokemon anyway. I'll be waiting!"

Red Eyes flew away with a laugh.

"I'll get Blue Eyes," Murph told Ben, but Ben wasn't listening. He was focused on the fact that he could get Summer back.

* * *

**Heyo**

**Another update! Summer's going to be making an appearance next update, yay! I'm super excited for that, and I hope you are too. **

**Please review!**

**Peace (./^\\\\.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Some Like It Hot**

"I owe one to Red Eyes," Blue Eyes said distantly. The two were traveling around in the confusing Daybreak Ruins. Pichu hung to her shoulder, ready to shock her if she tried to bail. "You know it's really flattering that you think I'm going to escape, but I'm really not. You can call off Pichu."

Ben didn't respond to her. That simply wasn't true. Several Pokemon Pinchers attempted to take Blue Eyes by force. Ben assumed that would be so, so he left no mercy for them.

"Not a talker? That didn't seem to stop you earlier," Blue Eyes grumbled. "Let's pretend that all of those… discrepancies didn't happen."

Ben sighed and looked back at her. It wasn't an exactly emotional look, but Blue Eyes got the hint. Ben wasn't trying to be mean to her at all. It was hard to be nice when all of the Pinchers attacked him relentlessly earlier.

Ben felt kind of like an explorer, holding a torch and navigating ancient ruins. He looked pretty rough with that stone-cold face and his bandaged arm. He assumed he looked pretty cool.

They had rescued two of Pichu's pals earlier. See the Pokemon together made Blue Eyes look a little sad.

"What's your real name?" Ben asked randomly.

Blue Eyes snorted. "So, now you wanna talk? This whole time, you've been as responsive as a rock, and now you ask something as trivial as a name. My name is Blue Eyes, and that's that."

"Where are you from, Blue Eyes?"

"What's with the personal questions?!" Blue Eyes shouted, annoyed by the questions and the dirty nature of the temple. "You're starting to creep me out!"

"Sorry."

Blue Eyes relaxed. "Ranger… Ben… Don't worry about it. If I were in your shoes, I'd be curious too. I'm really sorry about my subordinates. They were just trying to make me proud. Young ones are so sweet. Well… no time for getting mushy." She paused for a moment. "You don't really seem like the Ranger type. Why'd you chose to be a Ranger?"

Ben cracked the slightest of smiles. "You're starting to creep me out."

"Oh, nevermind," she growled.

"I'm not really sure myself," Ben started softly. "It was just a feeling I guess."

Blue Eyes rolled her eyes. "You're so cliche."

They had reached the end of the ruins, an open plaza with ancient symbols of Pokemon and people working together. The only problem was that no one was there.

"What?" Blue Eyes barked. "Red Eyes isn't even here!" she turned around and gasped. She stared at an old Monument. "That has an Involith! I can't believe there is one in a place like this…"

She reached to touch it and the temperature spiked at least twenty degrees. There was a menacing roar. Entei crashed through the rocks, spike the temperature another ten degrees.

"Entei!" Blue Eyes yelped. "You scared me by suddenly appearing like that. We have an important negotiation to attend to. You are not a part of it." Entei roared again and Blue eyes jumped back. "What? Wanna fight?'

"Blue Eyes," Ben stammered, fear controlling him. "Don't provoke Entei."

"If you want a piece of me, I'll take you on with my Control Gauntlet…"

Ben pushed Blue Eyes out of the way of a fireball. Ben started to capture Entei, but Entei enveloped itself in a fire. It charged at Ben, setting his bandages on fire. Ben frantically put out the fire. Entei roared and charged at him again, but this time Ben dodged. Entei swiped him down, knocking the wind from his lungs.

Entei shot a fireball at Ben which exploded right in front of him, covering him in a black coat of ash except near his eye area. Pichu played music for Entei as the Styler spun around. Then Ben saw the light again. He felt warmth in his soul as a figure appeared in the sky. He recorded it as Entei fled.

"Thank you very much for saving me from a dangerous spot," Blue Eyes told him. "You deprived me of a chance to show my stuff though. You look like a burnt crisp."

Red Eyes flew in. "I'm impressed, Ranger!" When they landed, Red Eyes pushed Summer forward.

"Ben!" she cried.

"S-Summer," Ben said in disbelief.

"You got Entei to leave, and that works out very well for us," Red Eyes said with a smile. "I give you my thanks because I wouldn't want to look the way you do right now." He snapped his fingers at one of the goons behind him. "Go get that Emblem." He turned to Ben. "Well now, why don't we do the hostage exchange we've all been waiting for? On my signal, we will release both hostages at the same time."

"No funny business," Ben said seriously.

"3, 2, 1, Go!"

Summer rushed to Ben's side as Blue Eyes did the same to Red Eyes. She frowned at Ben. "Sorry to be so much trouble… I'll repay you for this..."

"Summer… I'm so glad to have you back," Ben told her.

Summer was surprised to see the look on Ben's face. It was so… kind. She had only seen him with that emotionless face. He looked so different from the last time she had seen him. He looked more determined, less scared. Ben looked stronger and tougher. Summer had never noticed how tall he was until to stood there, gently holding her shoulders as if she would fly away.

"Red Eyes…" Blue Eyes started. "I caused a lot of trouble, didn't I? I'm sorry."

He smiled confidently. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't a big deal." He turned to Ben. "The swap went as planned. We got the emblem. Time to leave! So long!"

Several Electrode appeared around Ben and Summer. It was too late to escape the explosion. By the time the smoke cleared, the Pinchers were gone.

Summer glared and coughed. "That Red Eyes is terrible!" She paused and turned to Ben who was struggling to get smoke out of his burning eyes. "When we were flying above Oblivia…" Ben stopped wiping his eyes and looked into Summer's blue eyes. "You protected me from Red Eyes' Plasma Cannon. Thank you…"

"It was really nothing… You would have done the same for me," Ben said quietly. "I don't regret it for a second."

Summer looked shocked and then her face softened. "When I heard the Pinchers talking about you being okay after falling into the ocean, I was relieved. I was so scared that you would have… You know, Professor Hastings told me to keep an eye on you, but it seems the situation has flipped. Ben… Thank you so much…"

Pichu rushed up and jumped on Summer, playing a song for her. She giggled as Pichu hopped around, twangs of the ukulele following.

"Wow, what a cutie!" She looked up at Ben. "Why does this Pichu have a ukulele?"

"Pichu likes to play music by shocking the strings," Ben told her.

Summer became quiet. "You've been through a lot, haven't you? Don't lie to me because I can see it in your eyes."

"I-I… Um…" Ben felt his ears get hot. Ben suddenly felt awkward again. "D-Did they hurt you?"

Summer snorted. "As if! I'm too tough to be pushed around by those goons, but they still have my Partner Pokemon, Staraptor!" She had a fire in her eyes that shocked Ben. Summer really was an incredible person. Summer smiled radiantly. "Well, I wasn't just sitting there waiting to be rescued. I was blindfolded, so I don't know where it was, but I attached a homing device to their hideout. I can pick up the beacon on my Styler."

"We can rescue your Staraptor."

"The problem is that they broke my Styler. I need to get it fixed."

Ben smirked. "I know just the place. The Area Ranger, Rand, has a daughter. She is profound in fixing things. She fixed my Styler when it was broken."

"Great, let's go, but the explosion blocked the exit," Summer told him. "We could climb the side of the ruins, but it's too unpredictable."

"I have a better idea," Ben told her. "You have to promise not to freak out though."

Ben traced the figure of Entei and Entei appeared. Summer looked as if she was going to pass out.

"You can summon Entei?!" she shouted.

"And Raikou."

"And Raikou?!" she repeated. "You sound like the Hero of Oblivia!"

"I'm no hero," Ben explained to her.

Summer paused. "I mean… You're a hero to me if that counts." Summer had said it so offhandedly that she didn't notice what she was implying. "W-Wait! You know what I meant." She glanced at Ben, who was mounted on Entei. She got a little flustered looking at him. Ben was so different from what she had remembered.

Summer remembered Ben from Ranger School. He was always so quiet around people, never uttering a single word. He would hide from teachers in the library. He would skip class and pull pranks on people he didn't like. Summer remembered she thought he was simply someone who would get along doing to a bare minimum. Here he was, riding Entei like a valiant hero.

Ben was incredible from what she had heard from the Pinchers at the hideout. Summer more and more excited to see him again. The string-bean coward she remembered was no more. Ben was strong and built. His soft facial figures became rigid and sharp. His eyes were piercing, no longer avoiding eye contact. Summer could even see small scars on his hands.

Ben reached his hand down to her. "Take my hand. Entei will help us get out." Summer took his hand as he pulled her up. Entei's coat was warm and soft, quite welcoming. She wrapped her arms around his chest."Hold on, Entei likes to go fast."

* * *

Ran lifted his eyes from the newspaper to a horrid burnt smell. That smell was Ben walking in with Summer and Murph behind him. Nema and Leanne turned from whatever book they were reading.

"Welcome back, Ben," Rand started. "You look extra… burnt today."

Ben winced. He knew that he reeked of fire and sweat. Entei did not go easy with the fire. Ben tried to wipe some of the smog off, but it only smeared with his sweat.

"I know Murph, but this must be the famous Summer," Rand said while standing up.

"The famous Summer?" she laughed.

"Well, Ben spoke of you in such high regard, we assumed you might as well be famous," Nema explained.

"Is that so?" she said with a smile.

"We're very glad you're okay?" Leanne told her, giving her a big hug.

"It's nice to meet you!" said Summer. "I'm sorry for getting here so late."

"I'm Rand. This is my wife, Leanne. And my daughter, Nema," said Rand with an uncharacteristic smile on his face.

Ben looked around and scowled a little. They all looked entranced by Summer. He couldn't blame them because that was simply the effect Summer had on people. He guessed that's what happens when you're attractive. Ben was a little jealous.

"Nema, I've been told by Ben that you could fix my Styler," Summer told her.

Nema got a gleam in her eyes. "You can leave your Styler maintenance to me! I can even upgrade it if you'd like. It'll be done in a blink of an eye."

Murph stood in awe. "Wow, Nema, could you fix the broken washing machine at my house?"

Summer laughed, lightly punching Murph. "Nema, forget about the washing machine. Murph can do it himself." She took off her Styler and handed it to Nema. "If you can fix my Styler, we can track the Pokemon Pinchers' hideout."

"What do you mean?" said Rand. He got an excited look in his eyes.

Summer smirked. "I was blindfolded, so I couldn't tell where we were, but… I secretly attached a homing device."

Rand rushed over and patted her on the back. "That's great work, Ranger! That's the type of work we need around here."

"They didn't cover my ears, so I was able to hear a little of the conversations next door. The voices made it sound like we were in some kind of tightly closed space."

Rand's eyebrows rose. "That's… impressive sensory."

Summer got a little embarrassed. "Well… My mom's an Operator, so she trained me to be able to handle situations like that. My mom always told me that a Ranger needs to be in top sensory form to be in the field."

"Your mother isn't just some Operator," Rand chuckled. "Rhythmi is the best you can get. I bet it doesn't hurt to have Kellyn for a dad either. Say, has he mentioned me before? We're old pals."

"Yes, actually. My dad has talked about you before," said Summer.

Leanne chimed in. "What were they talking about?"

"Oh, yes," said Summer as she got back on topic. "It was something about… Preparations for seizing Moltres are proceeding…"

"The Pinchers are trying to pinch the legendary Pokemon Moltres?!" Rand shouted, slamming his hand on the table. Everyone flinched except Ben. He knew that temper would come out eventually.

Leanne had her hands over her hear. "What for?"

Summer shook her head. "I didn't hear. If we can figure out the location of their hideout, we can stop their plans! We can also rescue my partner Pokemon…"

Leanne placed the book that she and Nema were reading on the table. Summer turned to examine the book, obviously intrigued. "I think the old book Ben brought may be related to their plan. I've managed to decode a little bit of it. According to the research I've already done in the field of archeology… mysterious Emblems called Involiths are left behind on Monuments. Apparently, these are the keys for opening the Ancient Gate."

"Where is this Ancient Gate?" asked Rand.

"Unfortunately, there was nothing written about its location," Leanne said, exasperated.

Summer held the book in her hands. "If the Pinchers are interested in opening this gates, how are Moltres or any of the legendary Pokemon they've been after related? What will happen if the gate is opened? Probably nothing good."

"Well, let's get that Styler fixed up," said Nema in a cheerful tone. "You guys have been through a lot. I mean, look at Ben… He looks more cranky than usual. You all should get some rest while I put together your Styler, Summer."

"I'm not cranky…" Ben grumbled.

* * *

**Howdy**

**I'm going back to school tomorrow, so my power week of updates has come to an end. Everything will be coming much slower now. I promise to get stuff done as fast as possible.**

**Please review!**

**Peace (*...*)-{**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Waterlogged**

The next morning, Ben arrived at Rand's house to see Summer's fixed Styler. He felt much better being clean. Leanne offered Summer the spare bed in Nema's room automatically. Ben was a little jealous. Nema's room was much nicer than the cot on the floor of Booker's workshop. Nema was excited for a "long sleepover," as she called it. Nema explained that they were going to have so much fun together, telling secrets, braiding hair… Ben didn't really know. He wasn't listening.

Ben was gracious for Booker's hospitality, but he didn't appreciate all the early mornings spent working on hardware. In fact, that morning, Ben had woken at five in the morning to help Booker with the finishing touches on the bridge.

Ben was stiff this morning. Late night workouts and early morning labor were not making him any looser. Ben scowled as he felt the knot in his lower neck clinch. He couldn't remember a time where he worked harder. If anything, Pichu always hanging on his neck was probably part of the problem, but he didn't mind that.

Ben walked in to see Summer pacing. She turned to look at him and smiled brightly like she always did. "Ben! The tracker pointed to Mitonga Island, the southern coast to be more exact."

Ben closed the door behind him. "You really like to get to work fast, huh?"

"Of course. There is a cave in Tilt Village. Rand told me that there is a cape inside the cave. Unfortunately, the road to the cape is mostly sheer cliffs." Summer closed her fist in front of her eyes. "If we find them there, they're ours!"

Ben stood there, mouth agape. Summer was fired up, ready to take on the Pinchers. Summer really was amazing. Ben couldn't believe that he spent most of his time in Ranger School trying to avoid and ignore her brilliance. Ben really didn't understand that about himself.

"Come on, let's go," Summer told him, grabbing him by the vest.

"We're going right now…? In broad daylight…?"

"No better time!" she told him while marching on. "Rand and Murph are patrolling, and Leanne and Nema are decoding."

Ben somehow let himself be pulled around by Summer. He could easily just stop and turn around, but he let Summer lead the way.

"Summer…" started Ben, his voice quiet as the breeze. He felt his face heat up.

She turned. "Hm?"

He froze. "N-Nevermind…"

* * *

"My, my, how cute," chuckled a Pokemon Pincher.

"What's so cute?" Summer asked in a menacing voice. "You won't find us so cute after we deal with you guys."

The Pincher smiled wider. "You won't be able to stop our Operation."

Summer smirked. "So, you do have some Operation. If I had to guess, Blue Eyes must be in charge." The Pincher's smile dropped. "If you hadn't have opened your big mouth, maybe the secret wouldn't have been spilled."

The Pincher took off, shouting, "Well, if you think you're so great, then try to stop us. You have two minutes."

Summer took off in the direction that the Pincher was going. Ben blinked and she was gone, jumping over rocks and leaping small caverns. Summer surely was athletic, but there was no way she could make it on foot.

Ben summoned Raikou and dashed forward, picking up Summer on the way. She gasped in surprise as she was suddenly held by Ben while riding Raikou. She looked up at him in shock but just went with it.

Raikou jumped over cliffs and gorges with high speed. It clawed to the top of rocky plateaus and leaped down to the cape. The cape was crumbling, rock pillars hanging over the untamed ocean. Ben closed his eyes as Raikou jumped distances he couldn't imagine. There was a metal thud under Raikou's feet. Ben opened his eyes and jumped down, still holding to Summer.

"So the Pokemon Pinchers' hideout is a submarine," Summer said quietly, Ben suddenly letting go of her. "That means I was held inside here… That means my Staraptor should still be locked up inside, along with the other pinched Pokemon."

Ben frowned, feeling bad for Summer. He couldn't imagine how upset she was. He knew she was hiding behind a brave face. The more than Ben thought about it, he actually didn't know what Summer's Staraptor was like. During the entire trip to Oblivia, he kept his eyes on off of Summer at all times. He was kind of mad that he did that.

The submarine smelled like metal and a hint of trash. Once the submarine started diving, the pressure changed a bit and it got warmer. The submarine was filled with torpedos and random floats. There was no going back now.

"Let's look for Blue Eyes," Summer advised. "We have to be quiet, or they'll cause a scene. The fastest and most efficient way to handle this mission is quietly."

They traveled efficiently, but there was a point where there was a large wall in front of them. It seemed to be electrically charged. Summer looked for Pokemon to help, but Pichu seemed to have the electric power to force the door open. The problem with that was that it caused a lot of noise. All the nearby Pinchers rushed to the sight, surrounding the pair.

"You must miss being a hostage," said one of the Pinchers as Pokemon encircled the pair.

"Not really," she boldly said. Her back hit ben's as the Pokemon stepped closer. "I've come to give you a little payback for your hospitality."

"Heh, you're all talk. We completely outnumber you. Hmmm… Twelve to two… You don't have good odds."

"Ben," Summer whispered. "They are going to come at us, full force. I'll take this side, you take the other." Ben glanced back to see her smile. "Let's give them a taste of what a Ranger can do."

The numerous Pokemon charged. Ben jumped back a little, bumping Summer forward a little. She held down a laugh and pushed him back a little. How could she be so calm at a time like this? They were _completely _surrounded by Pinchers with four or more Pokemon with them each. Ben smiled a little too. Summer seemed to be having fun at a time like this.

The Pinchers backed up a little, worried as all the Pokemon fled. "One more round!" shouted one of them.

"Throw as many rounds as you'd like. Ben and I won't fall to you," Summer told them.

Ben smirked. She really was a good partner match for him. If she was paired with another Ranger that likes to run their mouth, they'd be in a lot of trouble.

The Pinchers fled except one. Ben grabbed the poor guy by the collar and pulled him into a headlock. Ben had never but anyone in a headlock, but he figured it wasn't that hard. The guy was much shorter than Ben anyway.

"Tell us where the caged Pokemon are," Ben said in a harsh voice, surprising both Summer and the Pincher. He tightened his grip. "Now!"

The Pincher squirmed and choked out. "Alright! Alright! Just let me go!"

Ben tightened more. "Not a chance."

Summer leaned over and looked the Pincher in the eyes. "Ben, let him go. He's just a kid. How old are you?"

"F-Fourteen…" he gasped out.

Ben let go. "Why are you here? Kids shouldn't be associating with a group known to steal Pokemon from the wild."

"These guys pay well… I promise I haven't stolen any Pokemon. I just need to help my mom pay the bills. Look, I'll take you to the Pokemon if you let me go. I won't even tell on you guys."

Summer watched Ben as his face softened. Ben recognized himself in the Pincher. The boy really didn't look menacing like the other ones. The fact that the boy needed to help pay for bills is what struck a chord. It was too familiar to ignore.

"Take us to the Pokemon," Ben said softly. The kid led them around in the darker alleys, weaving around cargo boxes and loose torpedos.

Eventually, they reached a large, red cargo box. The Pincher entered the code and opened the door. Several Pokemon were crammed in that box. It was much too small for how many Pokemon were in there. Ukulele Pichu jumped front Ben's head and reunited with several of its friends.

"I'm glad we found your friends, Pichu," said Ben absently.

A shrill, caw came from the cage as a large Staraptor flew out. "Staraptor!" shouted Summer. A wide smile formed on her face as she hugged the Pokemon, staying things that Ben couldn't hear. Ben smiled at the sight and then his eyes widened. He really hated how oblivious he was sometimes. Summer's Staraptor was a rare, shiny Pokemon.

"Pincher," Summer started. "Thank you so much for freeing these Pokemon, and my Pretty Bird." She ended her statement with a smile.

The Pincher blushed. "O-Oh, it's no problem."

"Kid," said Ben in a quiet, gentle voice. "What's your name?"

"Harvey…"

Ben looked him in the eyes. "Harvey, please quit this organization before it's too late. I know you're doing this because you want to help your mom, but there are other ways. Where do you live, Harvey?"

"Tilt Village…"

Ben smiled a little. "Harvey, I'll help out if you need me. Now, you should go. You wouldn't want to get caught with us around you, being nice."

"If you're looking for Miss Blue Eyes," Harvey whispered. "She's down the hall. Thank you, Ranger."

Ben and Summer watched as Harvey ran off. Summer smirked and slid slowly towards Ben, smile getting bigger. Ben turned to look at her and choked a little.

"W-What?"

"Oh, nothing," she sang. "It's just what you did there… it was really sweet…"

Ben's ears got hot when she said that. He gulped as she slid towards him again. "W-Well…"

"You like to play all tough, but inside you're a big softie. I like that about you," Summer told him. "A lot of Rangers pretend to care about individual people, but you… you're genuine."

Ben felt embarrassed as she praised him. The look on her face was quite charming. Summer really left this way, Ben could tell. She was the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. They were complete opposites, yet Ben didn't find her as annoying as he thought he would. In fact, he enjoyed her company.

"W-We should go…" Ben said breathlessly. Summer snapped from her trance.

"Y-Yeah."

The pair mentally thanked Harvey for showing them the passageway through the vents. Ben slammed his foot down, causing him and Summer to fall right in front of Blue Eyes. she didn't even flinch.

"I heard you two might be coming," she said tiredly. They were all in the lavish control quarters of the submarine. "I've had enough of you little comedy routine. So, Rangers. Is there something you're here for?"

"Don't play dumb," Summer snarled. She was quite scary when she wanted to be. "What are you planning?"

Blue Eyes scoffed. "It might be what you're thinking or it might not." She paused and looked at Ben. "Ben, how I've missed you. I was hoping I'd get to see your handsome face soon. I hope this bratty Ranger hasn't been giving you trouble." She smiled, seeing the effect it had on Summer. She was fuming. "More importantly… I still need to pay you back for the embarrassment you caused me at the Old Mansion."

A fierce Feraligatr towered over Ben. He gulped hard and glanced at Summer. He jumped a little to see her face twisted in… excitement. Wow, she's really crazy, but in a good way. When the worked together, Feraligatr couldn't stand a chance. Summer was quite nimble, dodging Feraligatr's blasts. Ben wasn't so lucky. He was slammed to the ground, jaws open, ready to snap. Feraligatr fled.

"I can't believe it lost," Blue Eyes said unemotionally. "My dear Feraligatr…"

"You call it your Feraligatr, but I couldn't sense an ounce of an emotional bond between you at all," Summer told her. "Your way is to make Pokemon do what you want by using the Control Gauntlet to scare them. Next, you'll use that method to try and pinch Moltres, right? What are you trying to do?!"

"Can you hold? I'm getting a wireless message," Blue Eyes told her. She rolled her eyes. She pressed the button on the earpiece. "This is Blue Eyes… There aren't any serious problems… What? But that means!... Even if you say that… Understood…" Blue Eyes looked frigid. She pressed another button, perhaps to announce to all on the ship. "Pinchers, it's time for Plan Z! This is my direct order! Follow your training!"

A siren started to wail. "What are they doing?" Summer asked.

"You'll find out soon," Blue Eyes told her.

She and the other Pinchers in the room got on their Z.Z Flyers and blasted off. There was a huge tremor, and the submarine became unstable. Ben and Summer were sent flying as the submarine flipped ninety degrees.

Ben was slow to get up, pain coursing through his back. Summer panicked and picked him to stabilize on his feet. "Ben? Come on, Ben. Gosh, you're heavier than you look." Ben's eyes fluttered open, his head spinning. "Oh, good. I thought you'd been really hurt."

"Just dazed. I'm okay now," he grunted. "So, Plan Z meant ramming the submarine into the rocks on the seafloor." Ben looked around. "Where's Pichu?" Pichu jumped out of the books. "Oh, good."

There was another tremor and water started to fill the submarine. It wasn't a gradual filling of the submarine. Water rapidly filled the space.

Summer panicked. "We have to find an escape. The only escape there was at the end of the ship. We have to open it so the other Pokemon can get out."

Summer looked genuinely scared. Ben felt a knot in his stomach as they climbed up the grates. A loose Z.Z Flyer fell towards Summer's injured Staraptor. Ben jumped in the way, taking the full force of the metal to his head, knocking him out. His limp body fell into the water. Summer caught Pichu before it fell.

"Ben!" Summer cried out. She turned to Staraptor. "Take Pichu and guild the other Pokemon out the exit. I need to get Ben."

She dove into the water, finding Ben floating to the bottom. She was glad that she was a good swimmer. She held Ben limply in her arms as they surfaced for air.

"Come on, Ben," she pleaded. She noticed the gush right above his left eyebrow. "Please don't play around!"

She decided to pull Ben as the water started to slow a little. They were so close to the hatch, but she saw two Pinchers.

"Ranger, please help us! Our leader got trapped by a crate. She saved us."

"D-Don't… tell her… that" mumbled Blue Eyes under the crate.

"Blue Eyes, hang in there!" Summer called. She put down Ben and helped the Pinchers move the box.

"We're enemies, you know?" Blue Eyes scolded.

Summer sighed, annoyed, tired, and wet. "Do you want to stay here? No? Good. As far as I'm concerned, a life is a life. Water is going to reach us any second."

The three pushed the box. Once Blue Eyes was free, Summer automatically turned to Ben and pulled him out the hatch, following Blue Eyes and the last of the Pokemon. She was getting so tired from pulling him that she didn't care if the Pinchers escaped. Ben started to make her sink in the water. She tried to give him oxygen from her breathing device, but he wasn't breathing.

With a gust of strength, Summer surfaced them finding The Union waiting for them. Murph must have noticed the distress signal on Ben and Summer's Styler. The pair was pulled out of the water by Murph, Rand, Nema, and all the Pokemon from the submarine.

"Good thing I caught their position," Nema told Murph. "They look rough."

"What happened?" asked Rand.

Summer ignored him as she laid Ben on the deck. She rested her head on his cold chest to feel for his breathing and faint heartbeat. "No, no, no, no!" She immediately started CPR. "Breathe, Ben, breathe!"

She opened his mouth and placed her lips on his, blowing air into his lungs. He didn't respond, but in a few more compressions, Ben coughed out water. He groaned and rolled around. Summer sighed in relief and leaned back. She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come out. She was glad that Ben was alright.

* * *

**Yo**

**Did you like this one? This update was rather intense. This one was easy to write. It kind of flowed off the keyboard. **

**Don't forget to review! I appreciate all the readers!**

**Peace {.*.}-***


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Aerial Ace**

Ben groaned to the hot sun blaring on his face. His eyesight focused to see that he was in Booker's workshop on the cot. It was painfully hot in the sunlight. Ben struggled to recollect what had happened before it had all went black. It was… he was… in a submarine? The cool water was all he could remember.

"I'm glad you stopped sleepin'," cackled Booker from a few feet away. "Summer's been pickin' up the slack for the both of ya."

"What… happened?" Ben gruffly asked, his throat feeling dry. He tried to sit up, but pain exploded through his back and a little headache started. Ben winced in pain. Pichu jumped to his side to comfort him.

"Summer said you got knocked out by from a Z.Z Flyer to the head." Ben looked down to see his bare chest all wrapped up in bandages as well as his head. "Summer really is something else. She saved your life and then continued to patch you up. She's been working hard while you've been drooling."

"Was I really drooling?"

"Yes," Booker laughed. "Oh, and Ralph mentioned a pretty lady with blue eyes gave Summer a letter."

"That must be Blue Eyes. Crazy woman…"

"Well, apparently Summer told me that she crashed the submarine because she was demoted. Dramatic, huh? She was takin' out her frustrations I guess. The main part of the letter though was Miss Blue Eyes sayin' she was sorry and thanked y'all for savin' her."

"Red Eyes is heading to Faldera Volcano," said Summer, leaning on the doorway. It seemed that she had walked into the conversation from outside. Ben suddenly felt self-conscious as her eyes trained on him.

"Good thing I just fixed up the Union," Booker said with a smile.

"S-Summer, how long have you been here?" Ben stammered, his ears getting red.

She looked towards the window aloofly. "I just got here after patrolling. How are you feeling?"

"Sore, but breathing."

"Good."

There was silence. Booker looked at the two of them who were both refusing to look in each other's directions. "Are you two okay?"

"Never better," Summer answered quickly.

Booker smirked. Ben just had his normal dumb expression when he was nervous, but Summer looked different. She looked slightly flushed. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her eyes were focused on something outside. Summer fidgeted with her hands, daintily in front of her. The usually confident girl looked so twisted in knots.

Booker stood up. "I'm gonna leave you two kids to talk."

Summer waited until he left and then walked over and sat next to Ben. Ben shuddered. Summer looked so flustered. She bit her lip.

"Summer, are you okay?" Ben asked, her silence becoming unsettling.

Summer turned to look at Ben in the eyes and hugged him fiercely. She trembled a little but then firmed up. Ben winced but leaned into the hug. She pulled back abruptly with a completely different face. She looked determined.

"I was so worried," Summer said simply.

Ben gulped. "Thanks for saving my life."

Summer waited a second. She smiled softly, making Ben nervous. "Consider us even now."

* * *

Ben followed Summer up the side of Faldera Volcano, a few paces behind. Staraptor few above Ben, Summer, and Pichu, scouting the area. Ben wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Faldera Volcano was much hotter than Haruba Desert.

The air was burning, flakes of embers gracefully floated from the sky like snow. Ben sighed with half-lidded eyes. He really shouldn't have been out on this mission, but Ben would not feel right having Summer go by herself. Nema had filled Ben in on all the little details of how Summer had saved him.

Ben watched her back as she led the way. Summer looked completely unbothered by the volcanic heat, but Ben knew better. Summer was from Pueltown where the climate was temperate. She couldn't possibly be okay with the temperature.

They weaved around the lava currents. "This place reminds me of Boyle Island," said Summer after a long time of being quiet. "Have you ever been?"

"No," whispered Ben. "I've only been to Ranger School and Haruba Village."

Summer stopped to look at him. Due to the slope of the path, Summer was eye to eye with Ben. "I didn't realize…"

"I wasn't much of an explorer nor did I have to drive to do so."

Summer cocked her head. "What caused you to accept the transfer to Oblivia then?"

Ben looked at her hard, making Summer draw all attention to him. "I didn't realize we had a choice," Ben said honestly. "I'm glad that I didn't know that. I'm happy here. Why did you accept?"

Summer paused and then continued to walk inside the cave. Ben walked by Summer's side, eyes always on her. "I needed to get out of Almia," Summer answered.

Ben avoided a pool of lava. The temperature raised several degrees. "I understand that reason for someone like me, but you? Summer… you're like royalty in Almia… Why would you want to leave a place that basically worships you?"

Summer smiled sadly at Ben. "That's the thing. I don't want to be worshiped," Summer explained. "People only like me because of who my parents are. I figured if I could separate myself, then people would respect me for me, not my parents."

"That's not true, you know."

"What?"

"I genuinely respect you, not for your parents. Summer, you're practically a genius. Your talent speaks for you. I can tell that you've worked hard for what you have now. I used to not really care for other people, but I've come to look up to you, Summer."

Summer's jaw dropped. They continued eye contact. "B-Ben…" Summer stopped and pulled on his vest.

She felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest. It hurt, though she wasn't sure if it was because of the blistering heat. She was actually happy to be all flushed and sweaty because then Ben couldn't see the painful blush on her face. Why did he have to say that at a time like this?

"Playtime's over, Ranger!" shouted a Pincher.

Summer's eyebrow twitched. It really wasn't a good time, but she was starting to get wild thoughts.

A Torchic and Combusken charged at the two, but Summer made quick work of them. The Pokemon Pincher jumped back and fled like a coward.

Summer chuckled. "They are getting weaker and weaker." She turned to Ben. "Thanks for saying that, Ben. I don't know how much that meant to me."

Ben flushed. "I think we're almost at the top. That opening must be to Moltres." He tried to change the subject.

Summer smiled at him. "You go on ahead. I'm going to deal with that Pincher and Tyranitar that's supposed to be guarding the top."

Ben passed through the opening that seemed to be shattered by force. There was a monument covering the hole. Ben felt this tingling sensation when he touched the burning stone. Well, the stone felt hot as he hovered his hand over it, but it was only a soothing warm on his fingers. He heard Entei in his head telling him to present the Emblem.

He paused. As he presented the Emblem, a wave of heat passed through him. He felt the courage pulse in his veins as the Monument disappeared and he rushed over to see Red Eyes trying to capture Moltres.

"Red Eyes! What are you doing?" Ben shouted, puffing his chest.

"L-Leader!" stammered one of his henchmen. "It's that Ranger!"

Red Eyes stopped and smiled at Ben. "I know. I could hear them. Silent Ranger seems to finally have a bark. I don't know how you figured out our plans, but welcome to Faldera Volcano. I didn't think we would meet again. I shouldn't be surprised that you were able to escape the Daybreak Ruins." Red Eyes sighed. "By the way, I have bad news for you. Moltres is about to wake up. In other words, you're too late."

Ben strode up to Red Eyes with a wild gleam in his eyes. Red Eyes was surprised by Ben's sudden burst of courage. Ben was about the same size as Red Eyes now. Ben glanced passed Red Eyes to the sleeping Moltres covered in a ring of fire.

Red Eyes snorted. "Watch your step on the way down."

Ben snapped his eyes over and grabbed Red Eyes by his flak jacket. "Ben!" Summer shouted from behind him. "He's not worth it."

Ben let go and walked back to her. Summer had a Pincher in a headlock and pushed him forward to the ground by Red Eyes' feet. The other grunts started to shake as Summer and Ben glared at them.

"Leader, I'm so sorry!" the grunt cried out.

"You lost, so just take a hike!" Summer yelled at them, the fire in her eyes catching Ben's attention.

Red Eyes howled in laughter. "Who cares about winning or losing a battle right now? Look at Moltres."

Moltres' eyes suddenly opened and it cried out, flames exploded from its wings. Moltres flapped its wings and the pressure in the area started to change.

"It was harder than I thought, but we finished one of our operations," Red Eyes said with a smile.

Moltres bolted towards Summer who dodged the raging Pokemon. She yelped a little. Moltres flew around erratically.

"Let's get out of here," Red Eyes ordered while getting on the Z.Z Flyer.

"Wait!" shouted Summer.

"No one likes people who are too stubborn," Red Eyes told her.

Summer grit her teeth. "Staraptor!" she shouted. She jumped onto its back and flew after Red Eyes and the crew.

"Summer!" Ben shouted, but it was too late. Her temper got the better of her. Red eyes had left a present behind, a fuming Charizard.

Summer and Staraptor raced after Red Eyes and the scared grunts. Summer smiled like a crazy person as she felt the air on her face once again. Staraptor was still a little injured but was strong enough to keep up.

She dodged the Plasma Cannons from the grunts. Aerial combat was Summer's specialty. She trained for several months under the tutelage of Top Ranger Wendy. No one was a better flyer than she was.

The grunts fled from Red Eyes' side as Summer attacked their Z.Z Flyers. She was able to hijack their Z.Z Flyers, causing them to lose power and slowly fall to the ground.

Summer and Staraptor finally caught up to Red Eyes with a confident smirk. He scowled and tried to bump her. "Is stubbornness one of the qualities they look for in a Ranger? If you want a taste of defeat that badly…"

He fired relentless blasts from the Plasma Cannon, but Summer dodged all of them. She flipped over the blasts gracefully and easily.

"You're not bad," Red Eyes told her.

"Thanks," she said with a smirk. "It takes a lot of practice to deal with goons like you."

Red Eyes laughed. "I like your spunk, Missy. It's too bad we are on different sides. You might want to go back and help your partner. I left him a Charizard as a present."

"Ben can handle it. He's stronger than you give him credit for," Summer told him.

Summer and Staraptor charged at Red Eyes, slashing the Z.Z Flyer. He panicked and swerved. "I admit you won this time," he shouted as the Z.Z Flyer sparked. "We've located Articuno. It's time for you to learn your place."

Before Summer could react, Red Eyes slammed into Staraptor. Red Eyes grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her off. She fought back, pushing him off while connecting her fist to his jaw. In the struggle, Summer heard a crack which could only be her Styler. Red Eyes swerved off and disappeared, leaving Summer to turn back to Ben.

* * *

**Howdy**

**It took me a long time to conjure up some time to make this update. Tell me what your favorite moment from Guardian Signs is because I'm interested. **

**Are you guys enjoying the story so far? I hope so!**

**Peace /**_**\\-0-***


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or anything.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**Stolen Glances**

"Why did they wake Moltres only to let it go?" Summer asked glumly around the table.

Ben watched as she paced back and forth. They came by for Nema to fix Summer's chipped Styler. Ben couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked so agitated, more so than she normally would look.

On their way back from the dock, Summer had noticed strange noises from an abandoned shed on Hinder Cape. It turned out that all of the Staraptor of Renbow Island and Mitonga Island were stashed there.

"It is indeed strange behavior, and it probably has some significant meaning," Rand responded.

"Their next target is Articuno," Summer told everyone. "Red Eyes told me that before he broke my Styler. Another legendary bird Pokemon… Do you know where it could be?"

Rand shook his head. "Unfortunately no."

Leanne paused, she was thinking hard. "We might have a clue right in this room… Perhaps underneath us…"

Ben looked down at the giant baby blue rug. "The rug?" Rand asked.

Leanne smiled. "You bought it for me right after we moved to Oblivia."

"That's right. I bought it for you at the Aqua Resort on Sophian Island. The… Articuno design! It was passed down from generation to generation on Sophian Island."

"So Sophian island must have some connection to Articuno," Summer added. "Could we possibly speak to the weaver?"

"Yes, the weaver should still be there. Head over to the Aqua Resort."

* * *

The air blew Ben's hair back as they flew over the ocean. The sun was setting, causing the ocean to turn a bright shade of gold. The wind was refreshing on his face. It felt like years since he had been so relaxed.

"The view up here is beautiful, right Ben?" Summer said from beside him.

Ben glanced over to her. Summer had a peaceful smile on her face. Her shapely silhouette was all that he could see with the sun behind her. Ben figured that Summer must surely know how alluring she was.

He didn't answer her. He couldn't. He was afraid that he would accidentally say something that would alarm her. Ben suddenly felt like he didn't know how to speak anymore. Ben imagined this was what it was like to stare into an eclipse, beautiful but burning.

"Ben?" Summer questioned after the long silence. She turned to look at him staring at her with wide eyes.

Ben snapped out of it and turned away. He wanted nothing more than to just free fall into the ocean now. He figured the plummet would be more enjoyable than dealing with this awkward moment.

Summer turned her head to the sunset slowly, choosing not to acknowledge catching Ben staring. "I hear the sunsets are beautiful in Haruba Village."

Ben coughed. "Yeah, they're pretty nice."

"Oh, I bet they're a little better than nice."

Ben scratched the back of his neck. "Haven't you ever been to Haruba? You strike me as the world traveler type."

Summer paused for a moment, daring to look at Ben. "I've been a lot of places, but I've never been to Haruba Village."

"Smart choice," Ben told her. "It's not exactly the best place to live these days. What was the favorite place you've traveled to?"

"Sinnoh probably… I really enjoyed the resort areas."

"Ah, a rich girl," he teased.

Summer rolled her eyes. "Don't go there. You mentioned that you don't travel much. If you could go anywhere in the whole, wide world, where would you go?" She paused. "If you answer with something snide like your bed or something, I'm going to push you off of your Staraptor."

"Too soon, Summer… too soon," Ben teased. "It's in bad taste to bring up my free fall into the ocean."

"Just answer the question," she said with a smile.

"I don't really know…" Ben started. "Here, I guess."

* * *

"This must be the port at the Aqua Resort," Summer said while looking around. The resort was lit by lamplights. Cobblestone pathways that looked like flowing water swirled around. There were numerous fountains and canals.

"I saw you!" said a very beautiful woman wearing white. "You looked so cool flying in the sky. I was a little jealous." She walked up to Ben. "The name's Supurna, and you?"

"Ben."

"Summer," she drew out slowly. "It's quite nice to meet you, but Ben and I have important business to attend to."

Supurna smiled at Ben. "Wouldn't you like a tour of the Resort? Perhaps I could even show you my friendly flying Pokemon."

"Oh, Supurna," said a very fashionable elderly woman with a kind smile. "Leave those Rangers alone."

"Fine," Supurna sang, flashing a glance to Ben, causing Summer to scowl.

"This city of water is called Aqua Resort. Many people from other regions who are tired of city life come here looking for an elegant, laid-back lifestyle," she smiled and twirled her short lavender hair. "I happen to be one of them."

"Do you know where we could find a weaver here?" Summer asked kindly.

The woman smiled. "There is one in the city. The rugs have an old design but they are very well made. He lives in a rather plain-looking house down this road."

"Thank you very much," Summer said graciously. "Excuse me, what is your name?"

"I'm called Kasa," she giggled. "It's a nickname from when I was younger."

When the pair had reached the weaver's home, the dusty shop seemed to be empty. Old carpets were haphazardly draped against the wall with no care. There was an exact replica of the Articuno rug on the floor near the entrance.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Summer called out. She sighed and turned to Ben. "I guess we can't find anything out until the weaver comes back."

Ben glanced away. "I mean we could lurk around."

"No way," she responded. "It's rude to touch what doesn't belong to you."

"Wow, so polite," Ben mocked.

Summer cracked a small smile. "You better remember it."

"Should we walk around yelling, 'Weaver!'" Ben teased softly as he opened the door for her. Summer chuckled in response, making Ben smile to himself.

"I dare you," Summer said, a mischievous smile creeping on her face. Dr. Edward suddenly was to their side. "You must be the rug weaver."

Edward smiled gracefully at her. "Actually no, I'm a doctor. I've already met Ban over there, but who might you be?"

Summer glanced at Ben. "You know him? Well, I'm Summer, his partner."

"I'm called Edward, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise," Summer said cautiously. "I apologize for making such a strange assumption. I hope it wasn't rude of me."

"Please," he said while taking her hand. "Don't worry about it. There are many elderly people in the Aqua Resort, so it is my duty as a doctor to make a call to everyone's houses like this. Did you hear the commotion earlier?"

"What commotion?" Summer asked.

"There are rumors of Suicune running around by the river in a rage. I suggest you investigate."

"Where exactly?" Ben asked, suddenly interested.

"Canal Ruins," Summer answered for him.

Edward looked surprised. "My, you are quite well informed."

"I did my research before coming here," Summer responded plainly.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find Weber the weaver if you go look," Edward explained to them. "I'd hate for you to miss him on his day off."

* * *

Summer let go of Ben's back and jumped off of Raikou in inspect Canal Ruins. Ben glumly watched as Summer looked around. It seemed like there was a rain cloud that just sat above the area of the ruins. The rain was relentless and soaked Ben in seconds. Summer didn't really seem to be bothered by it.

"How strange," Summer told Ben as he jumped off of Raikou. "Suicune must be trying to protect Canal Ruins."

Ben blushed. He could help but think Summer looked cute in the rain. Her hair was pinned to her cheeks and neck, and her face was slightly flushed from the cold. Ben simply watched her back as they got closer to the ruins. He really didn't know what was wrong with him.

"Show-off, all running on top of the water," yelled a Pincher. "There's nowhere left to run! Prepare yourself!"

Summer ran up to the two Pinchers without Ben and yelled, "Stop this instant!"

Ben couldn't help but smile as she gained the attention of the two Pinchers and Suicune. Ben jogged up to her and stared at Suicune in its elegance. Ben felt like he had a connection with the Pokemon.

"Why are there Rangers here?!" the Pinchers panicked. "This is what those who interfere get!"

A Yanmega and Dugtrio charged at Ben. He jumped back, but with the help of Summer, the Pokemon were quickly captured. In the tussle, Suicune fled, and so did the Pinchers. Summer tried to chase them but they were too fast.

The inside of Canal Ruins was damp. Ben chased after Summer as she dove gracefully into the underground lake. Ben tried to catch his breath and watched as Summer swam away after the Z.Z Flyer.

"Stubborn…" Ben gasped out.

Summer looked back. Ben wasn't behind her anymore. Summer continued to swim deeper into the underwater ruins. She felt like a bad partner for leaving him behind. She couldn't help but get fired up.

Summer didn't blame Ben for stopping in his tracks. The last time they dealt with water, he got seriously injured. Actually, Summer felt better knowing that Ben was safe on the surface.

She stopped to see a bunch of wires that the Pokemon Pinchers definitely put up to stop her. Lucky for her, Summer carried a knife with her for situations like this. If Ben knew though, he'd probably act more squeamish than usual.

"Only a little farther to the Involith Suicune was protecting. The fact that Suicune hasn't come back must mean that things are going great with the aboveground team," said a Pincher.

Summer was getting closer. She needed just to push a little farther. She was glad that she was trained for deep water survival. By the time she caught up, it was too late.

"You're too slow, so I finished the job myself by myself just now," said a Pincher, not looking back at her. "We lost the Ranger, right?"

"You wish," she said slyly.

"W-What?!" he Pincher stammered.

"It's time for you to do some talking."

Ben slammed into the ground after a water spout shot him into the air. The air was knocked from his lungs as another spout came shortly after. Suicune continued to beat on him.

An ice beam hit Ben in the chest. Suicune was significantly more aggressive than Raikou and Entei, despite its beautiful appearance. Ben would rather deal with Raikou and Entei right now.

"**Voicemail! Voicemail! Summer speaking! I just finished interrogating a Pincher and Suicune should be about-" **

"I already found Suicune!" Ben yelled out after getting trapped in a whirlpool.

"**Hang in there! I'm coming!"**

Suicune howled and trapped Ben in another whirlpool. Ben was so close to capturing Suicune if he could just not get so dizzy. The water was starting to get warmer, a sign that Suicune was calming down.

Suicune dropped Ben from the whirlpool and an Emblem appeared in front of his eyes. The sign was registered, but Ben was pretty sure he was spinning rapidly.

"Hey! Hey!" shouted a man that Ben couldn't really focus on. "I saw you take on Suicune. Are you okay?"

"No…" Ben whispered.

"Ben!" he heard, almost positive that was Summer. She ran to his side and cradled his head in her lap. Summer panicked when she saw the dazed look in Ben's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Everything is spinning…"

Summer felt relief. She thought he was seriously injured. It just looked like Suicune was playing around with him. She held onto him as if she was going to protect him. She looked up at the plain-looking man.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?" he responded with a smile. He reached to take her hand, but she just looked at him with an annoyed look on her face. "I'm Weber the weaver."

"We need to talk to you," Summer told him. "We've been looking for you all day."

"You've been looking for me? I'm flattered that such a beautiful woman like you would be looking for me. What do you need?"

Ben turned green. "I think I'm going to hurl…"

* * *

**Hello**

**Sorry for the long break. School's been crazy as usual. I'm almost done with school, so I'll be updating much more soon.**

**Please review!**

**Peace (.^.)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Discliamer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Bad People in Paradise**

Weber grabbed Summer's hand and smiled. "If you hadn't come by, who knows what would have happened."

Summer pulled her hand back and rubbed her hair with the towel that Weber provided. "Well, Pokemon Rangers are here to help people and Pokemon in trouble. Ben did most of the work anyway," Summer told Weber. She glanced back to see the weakened Ben slumped on a chair, wrapped in towels. "I'm sorry that Ben… you know… threw up on you…"

Weber smiled. "Oh, it was no problem! I needed to change anyway. Anyway, I want to help you… What is your name?"

"Summer."

"Ah, Summer," Weber gushed. "What's giving you trouble?"

Ben scowled from the chair he was slouched on. Not only was he embarrassed that he had gotten sick on Weber, but he didn't want to watch Weber's infatuation with Summer. She was humoring it because they needed his help, or was she? Ben actually didn't know what Summer was thinking.

Summer pointed down to the rug they were standing on. "The pattern on this rug is Articuno, isn't it? Can you tell me about this?"

Weber sighed. "This rug was made by my great-great-grandfather so that we would never forget how moved he was when he met Articuno. I imagine it was like how I met you, Summer."

"So, you didn't make the rug?" asked Summer.

"I'm sorry that I'm not much help," he said quite sadly.

The bell by the door rang as Leanne walked in. "Oh, I'm glad you two are alright… or semi-alright."

"Leanne?"

"I got worried," she said bashfully. "Murph took me here on The Union." She turned to Weber. "My name is Leanne, and I'm an archeologist. We bought a rug just like this before, and it is really wonderful."

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Weber said happily. "The rug was woven from Pokemon 'fur.' You know… Mareep wool."

Pichu became mad and zapped the rug, causing it to illuminate with writing. Weber yelped and jumped back, causing Ben to snicker a little.

"Did you see that? The rug shined because of Pichu's electricity. It looked like… ancient symbols."

"Pichu," Leanne asked. "Will you shock it again?"

"Wait!" Weber panicked. "You'll burn the rug to a crisp!"

It was too late and Pichu shocked the rug. With a blinding light, an ancient language appeared on the rug.

"It's exactly as I thought. This is happening because of the Mareep wool. It holds electricity. This is Oblivia's ancient script. It says… 'At the top of a snowy peak, when my life's fire was fading, I encountered Articuno. After that, I wove this tapestry with my own hands. I wove my respect into each thread of the warp and my gratitude into each thread of the weft.'" Leanne read.

"The snowy mountain described here must be Mt. Sorbet here on Sophian Island," Weber added. "Though, Mt. Sorbet is famous for avalanches. It's best to stay away, dear Summer. Send Ben instead."

Summer's eyes narrowed. "If you think I'm going anywhere without Ben, then you're crazy. Ben is my partner, and he's important to me."

Weber's lips twitched. "I suppose you should be careful, but I recommend going in the morning. Mt. Sorbet is bitterly cold at night. You'll need to prepare with cloaks and scarves. Your current attire is not safe for the terrain."

* * *

"Summer! Watch out!" Ben yelled. He grabbed her arm and yanked her to his chest, protecting her from a mini avalanche.

Ben held her tight to his chest. For a moment, the pair didn't move. Summer was so small in his arms even though she was above average height.

"T-Thanks," Summer stammered. "I wasn't paying attention."

"You seem to have something on your mind," Ben added bashfully, scratching the back of his neck and glancing away while letting go of her.

"I've been thinking…" Summer started. Ben looked at her expectantly. He really didn't know what he was hoping for her to say. "Dr. Edward and that… Kasa, right? They give me an off vibe. I mean, this morning… we saw them having a tea party with those two people you knew… Arley and Hocus. It was so odd."

"Summer, what are you talking about? They told us they were childhood friends that traveled together," Ben explained to them. "And besides… They're all elderly."

"That doesn't mean they aren't scheming." Summer left it at that. She glanced at a shivering Ben. "Are you cold?"

Ben turned his eyes to meet Summers. The tip of his nose and his ears were bright red, and he looked pretty miserable. Pichu gripped tightly to his neck, probably the warmest part of his head. The tips of his unruly ash brown hair were frosted white. His cloak must not be providing enough warmth even though their Ranger uniforms are equipped to keep them warm.

"Just a little, I guess," Ben scowled.

Summer chuckled and pressed her warm hands on Ben's icy cheeks and ears. She smiled wide, and Ben felt his throat choke. A wave of heat flushed his face and it wasn't because of Summer's hands. He looked deep into her blue-yellow eyes. Flecks of gold floated around a pool of blue. She had the softest freckles on her nose. How did she look so graceful in such an extreme climate? Summer had a few soft snowflakes in her honey-brown hair almost if they were gently placed there. For the first time in Ben's boring life, he felt such fervorous affection.

"Leader! Please wait!" shouted a Pincher.

Summer and Ben jumped away from each other, both blushing painfully. Summer stalked around the corner to see Red Eyes and some goons.

"What's wrong?" he bit out.

"The blizzard is getting worse! It could be dangerous to go any further. Our hands and feet are numb…"

Summer marched out. "We finally found you, Red Eyes!"

He sighed with annoyance. "You again…? You underlings could learn a thing or two from the loud-mouth Ranger. I guess the quiet one, too. Why don't you stop them while I continue up since you're worried about the blizzard."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

An Empoleon, Glaceon, and Infernape charged at the pair. Summer and Ben stood side by side and took on the Pokemon. They were aggressive Pokemon, much more than usual. Summer was surprised to see how skilled Ben had become. She remembered how he could barely capture a Bidoof in Ranger School, and just yesterday he had captured Suicune while still having the energy to scale a mountain.

"I'm so ashamed that I'm going to starting crying," yelped a Pincher as the group fled with the Pokemon. "They're turning to ice."

Summer and Ben followed Red Eyes into a cavern that must lead to the peak. The inside of the cavern was narrow and slick. Every inch of it was covered in ice. Summer held on to Ben's shoulder as they slowly traveled up the icy ramp. The inside was unbearably cold as Ben's teeth started to clatter.

"Bold as ever," called Red Eyes from a high point. "Good luck trying to get up this ledge!"

As he yelled out, the noise caused icicles to plummet to the ground near Ben and Summer. Summer yanked him forward as they slid across the ice to the ledge that Red Eyes was taunting them from.

The ledge was about ten feet up and completely covered in ice. "How are we going to get up there?" Summer asked. "If it wasn't covered in ice, it would be easy if it wasn't- What?"

Summer yelped as Ben picked her up onto his shoulders. "Use me as a step," he grunted.

Summer jumped off of him to the ledge. She struggled to get a grip on the slick surface. Ben pushed her feet with his hands to help to lunge to the top.

She rolled over to huff, arms spread out. "Okay," she gasped. "Now, time to get you up, Ben." She glanced to the side to see a large Monument. "It's the same kind of seal as the one on Faldera Volcano."

As she said that, Ben launched himself up and held on to the slippery bludge a foot under the edge of the small cliff. Summer panicked and reached over the edge to grab his hands. She tried to ignore his biceps as they contracted and shifted quite attractively in her eyes. With a desperate yank, Ben flopped on her lap.

Ben wanted nothing more than to stay in that position, but Articuno needed their help. He jumped off of her and jogged to the Monument. "I'm going to present the Emblem," Ben explained as he caused the Monument to fade away. His blood ran cold but in a good way. He felt detached in a heroic way.

"Red Eyes!" Ben shouted while charging to the peak. Articuno was peacefully in slumber with a beautiful field of razor-sharp ice spears around it.

"It looks like your skills have improved even further," Red Eyes told them. "How annoying… Articuno is about to wake up."

"No!" Summer shouted as Articuno opened it's elegant blue wings and flew off, stopping the blizzard and warming the temperature. "Red Eyes, do you have any idea what you've done?" Summer growled. "You weren't satisfied with just controlling and taking Pokemon from their homes. Now you've gone and woken a legendary Pokemon with your tricks. The crime and consequence of throwing the people of Oblivia into uncertainty is greater than you think."

"Oh, shut it with the monologue," Red Eyes scoffed. "What do you know? What are you… eighteen? Nineteen? I'm only doing what I'm supposed to do. Blue Eyes couldn't manage that. You don't have any right to mouth off to me."

Ben clenched his fists. "How selfish…" Ben said slowly.

Red Eyes laughed. "Oh, are you going to punch me? Do it, wimp!"

Ben lunged a little but decided against it. "No, you aren't worth it."

"Ben, there is one thing I just can't get past," Red Eyes started, his face getting wild. "I may be stronger, but you somehow persist. Your lucky streak ends here. Typhlosion, char them to ash."

An angry Typhlosion appeared and growled, heat radiating from its body. Ben wasn't scared in the slightest. With Pichu and Summer by his side, Ben was fearless and would not back down. Red Eyes watched in fear as Ben completely dominated Red Eyes prized Typhlosion. What was it about this quiet, nervous Ranger?

Ben dodged flames that would have easily charred him a month ago. Typhlosion tried to attack Summer, but Ben slid to the side and knocked Typhlosion's fire blast to the side of the mountain.

With an orb, Typhlosion was captured and fled. Summer's heart raced as Ben stood firm in front of Red Eyes.

"Maybe it wasn't luck…" Red Eyes whispered. He turned, "Leave me alone, Rangers." He got on his Z.Z Flyer. "Ben, do you remember that day I sent you hurling into the ocean from the clouds? At that time, I honestly thought you were a weakling, but now it's different."

"It's not," Ben started. "Then… I was a scared, little nobody. It's the same still."

Red Eyes scoffed. "If you're trying to do some modesty bit, it's annoying. You are completely different from that day. I almost don't recognize you. You two… You bravely sneaked into the Pincher' Submarine, silenced that insolent Blue Eyes, faced treacherous volcanoes and mountains without complaint, and then, you made me… admit defeat. You're really something."

With that last remark, Red Eyes fled in silence.

"It's because Oblivia is such a peaceful paradise, there are bad people here who take advantage of it," Summer started slowly. "This case is a perfect example of it."

* * *

**Heyo**

**What's up, everyone? Happy Easter! I figured I'd give a little Easter present to everyone. I hope you are liking this sotry so far because I don't really know, haha. **

**Don't forget to review.**

**Peace *(- -)***


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, sadly.**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**Paper Mache and Flowers Everywhere**

"You two look cold," Rand started with a laugh. "Judging from Summer's face, it was a mission clear? Well, you can't tell from Ben's face because he never has an expression."

"It was!" Summer said cheerfully.

Ben glanced to her with a miserable look on his face. How could she be so chipper all the time? Ben was still freezing even after a day after leaving Mt. Sorbet. Ben was pretty sure he was still covered in ice.

"Articuno was awoken, but it looks like Red Eyes has given up on his next target," Summer continued.

"Really?" Rand added. "Great work, you two!"

"Now Oblivia's Pokemon can sleep peacefully!" shouted Murph.

"Now we don't need to develop a new anti-bad-guy weapon anymore!" Nema added.

Rand scratched his head and walked around the table. "When the Wireless Tower is fixed, we should report our findings to the Ranger Union. Why don't you come by to Cocona Village with me? You two could use a break."

* * *

There was loud tropical music and explosions of different colors. Rainbow banners and flowers decorated the village. People came by and placed colorful leis around Summer and Ben's necks. Ukulele Pichu ran off to play with the children and other Pichus.

"What is all this about?" Summer asked in the wonder of the beautiful sight.

"Summer! Summer!" shouted a group of little kids as they dragged her away.

Ben watched as the little kids decorated her hair with flowers. Before he could smile at the tender moment, a little girl dragged him away too. Suddenly he was dragged towards Summer as little girls started to braid a few unruly locks and place flowers in his hair.

"W-Wait!" Ben pleaded.

Summer giggled from across of him with a teasing smile. "You look so pretty, Ben."

Ben smiled and laughed a little too, much to the surprise of Summer. He let the little girls play with his hair as he gently sat there. Summer reached over and squeezed his hand briefly with a warm smile. Ben choked a little and turned red in the ears.

"Welcome Heroes of Oblivia!" shouted Rand as the little girls walked away, leaving Summer with beautifully done hair and Ben with a dorky hairstyle.

"What's with the theatrical gestures?" Summer giggled as the two got up.

"Ye brought true peace to Oblivia," said Leanne from behind them, causing Ben to jump.

"Why are you referring to us as 'ye'?"

"I'm embarrassed too, actually," Rand laughed. "It's embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as Ben's hair! Today's the Rainbow Festival. We thought it would be a perfect reward for all of the hard work you've done for us. I'm sure if you relaxed in Oblivia a little bit before going home, Professor Hastings would just laugh and let it slide."

Nema jumped and hooked her arms around both their necks, holding them in a hug. "You both work so hard, so spend some time relaxing together," she giggled. Ben watched as Nema shot Summer a sly look.

Nixie got attention as she walked onto the stage. "This year's Rainbow Festival was almost canceled due to the Pokemon Pincher, but thanks to those two brave, young Rangers, we were able to hold the festival!" There was applause. Ben blushed. "It's time to announce who will be playing the role of the Hero who searches for the grail. This year that role will be played by Ben and Summer! Let's give them a hand!"

"What's this?" Summer whispered in Ben's ear. "The role of the Hero who searches for the grail? I'm not familiar with this one."

"Okay, Heroes, listen up," Booker told them. "The Hero of Oblivia's search for the grail is the highlight of the Rainbow Festival. Since you were picked as the Heroes, it's a tradition for those people to get the Rainbow Grail from Rasp Cavern and bring it to the village. You must pass the Hero's Trial."

* * *

In the damp Rasp Cavern, Booker unlocked the hidden door to the trial. Ben and Summer walked in. Once inside they met Nick, who stumbled to read from the script.

"W-Welcome, Heroes!. This is the Hero's Trial. You cannot obtain the Rainbow Grail without passing this trial. I said I didn't want to do it, but they made me…" Nick said dejectedly. "I was feeling uneasy because it was taking you so long to get there. What if I was trapped here waiting for you?" He started to pace.

"Nick! Enough!" Summer snapped him out. "We know you're good at having pessimistic daydreams already. Tell us about the trial."

Nick snapped into position, Summer's firm voice shocking him and Ben. "Behold the trial floor before thee. Sixteen tiles, four elong… Okay. This is a pain, so I'm just going to speak normally. Two of the sixteen panels are lit up. Step on every panel once. It's not hard for a couple of Rangers like you guys."

It really wasn't. Ben finished the puzzle in a crazy fast time. Summer watched in awe. She was shocked when she first found out how highly intelligent Ben was. He had excellent grades in the mathematics and history portions of Ranger School… the boring stuff.

"Now, take the Rainbow Grail with your own hands!" Nick exclaimed.

Ben held the paper-mache grail in his hands. He raised an eyebrow at Nick who laughed nervously. Ben and Summer turned to each other and rushed back to Cocona Village. Summer couldn't stop laughing about how underwhelming the grail was.

"Attention everyone! Our two Heroes have passed the trial and safely brought us the Rainbow Grail!" announced Nixie as the pair ran back. "Now everyone please enjoy the rest of the Rainbow Festival! There will be more performances later in the evening."

Summer turned to Ben with a sheepish smile. Ben looked back at her with a shocked expression. Summer was fiddling her thumbs and blinking her eyes from his to the ground. "Hey, Ben… Why don't we get out of here?"

Ben paused. "But we just got here."

"W-We don't have to go anywhere… I just wondered if you wanted to go somewhere else," Summer panicked.

Ben wanted to punch himself for not picking up on what was going on earlier. "Let's go."

Ben and Summer watched the festival from a high point behind the village. It was kind of awkward for a little bit. They sat in silence for a while, simply watching the people frolic and dance around.

Summer sat really close to Ben to the point that he couldn't think straight. He had little to no experience with girls, so this whole deal was quite unnerving. Ben tried to keep that type of relationship away because, quite frankly, he thought the whole pursuit was a waste of time, but Summer was different. She wasn't a waste of time. Not in the slightest.

"Everyone in Oblivia is so cheerful all the time," Summer said out of the blue. "It's so different from Pueltown. My mom always used to tell me that Oblivia was different from Almia and Fiore… It just had a different feel to it. I understand now."

"Your mom is a wise woman," Ben added.

Summer snorted and rested her head on Ben's shoulder, causing Ben to dig his nails into the dirt for support. She smiled when she felt his muscles tense under her cheek.

"She is, but she has her moments."

"I know you've talked about it a little, but what was it like to have your parent be so famous?" Ben asked. "I always figured that my circumstances were the worst, but as I think about it, being basically an orphan wasn't as terrible as I remembered. I always wondered if you had it worse." Ben paused when she didn't answer right away, "I'm sorry that was too much."

"No," Summer started. "It's not. I'm just surprised. Everyone always assumes I had the best childhood. I don't like to stay that some people had it worse than others, because everyone struggles in their own ways. My way was just different than other peoples. My life was predestined the moment I came into this world. I'm pretty sure I could use a Styler before I could talk. Every waking moment of my life was training to become a Ranger. My parents were always gone for work, so a lot of my free time was spent alone. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents… It's just… Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I was born into a baking family or something. You know… My dad lived on a farm in Fiore and then Almia, and my mom lived working at a flower shop. I just wish I had their freedom."

"Is that why you like to fly so much?" Ben asked quietly, placing his hand over hers.

"It's freedom… the only taste that I get…"

"What do you really want to be, then?" Ben asked her. "You're… you're a prodigy. You're hero material. Isn't that why you're here?"

"No," she sighed. "I wanted to get away from the expectations in Almia. I don't want to be a hero. I just want to be me, you know?"

"But you're a genius."

"Enough with the genius stuff. I've been told that my whole life. Even the word makes me sick. I don't have a main goal other than to be like Wendy the Flying Ranger. I just don't want to be like my dad. You know about Operation Brighton, right?"

"Of course, that's the mission that made your parents famous."

"When all was finished and Blake Brighton, Wheeler, Heath, Kincaid, Vance, and the other Dim Sun guys were rounded up, Bryce, or Ice, and Lavana were pardoned, and taken to Ranger custody and then jail, my parents were exalted. Almia is still under the peace that was brought that day. My Uncle Keith told me that I'd play a part into something like that in my future, but I don't know if I can. I just don't know if I'm enough." She paused. "I'm sorry… I babble on about things. Thanks for listening, Ben."

Ben turned to look at her. He smiled genuinely, caused Summer to be taken aback. "Summer, you don't need to worry about things like that. To me, you're more than enough. Without you, I'd probably be floundering somewhere."

"That's not true."

"It's true. I thought about saving you the whole time you were gone. I wanted to run away and give up so many times, but you keep me going. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be in Haruba Village somewhere, hiding from the Ranger Union. You matter to me. Summer. I just can't help it."

Summer stared at him, completely off of his shoulder. Ben started to feel bashful as she looked at him with those entrancing eyes. Before Ben could stammer and run away from saying something so emotional like that, Summer kissed him gently, yet fully. Ben wanted to faint as he joined the soft and warm kiss. It was unmistakably affectionate, as Summer deepened the kiss. Before Ben could respond back with equal affection, Summer jumped back, horrified and covering her mouth. Her face was beet red, and Ben was sure he was too, but he couldn't get the dreamy smile to leave his face.

"I-I shouldn't have done that," Summer stammered, scrambling to her feet. "Please, forget that just happened."

Ben didn't chase after her because he was still processing the fact that a beautiful girl just kissed him. He leaned back and looked up at the stars, a goofy smile was plastered on his face as he covered his face with his hands. He just couldn't help it.

* * *

Ben woke up in a gruff as a voice projected from his Styler. Ben still had that stupid smile on his face from last night. It was a late night of partying and dancing, so he figured it would be okay to sleep in.

"**Ben, can you hear me? It's me, Murph!"** Murph shouted from the Styler.

"I hear you," Ben grumbled, wiping his face with his hand.

"**We have a big problem, like… A seriously huge problem! Get to Rand's house, now!"**

* * *

**Howdy**

**Guess who should be studying for finals but chose to write an update instead! Me!**

**I really, really hope you liked this update. I was really excited to write this one out. This update you get more insight into Summer's personality and feelings considering Ben's feelings are the only ones shown since he's the main character.**

**I can't wait to hear from you guys!**

**Please Review!**

**Peace (* *)-o-**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**Blue and Red**

"Rand!" shouted Summer as Ben ran into the house. Rand was on the floor, face down, with Summer and Murph huddled around him.

Rand stirred and groaned, his hands clawing softly to the ground. "I'm… okay…" Rand said quietly. "Don't worry about me." He rolled over and stumbled up to his wrists.

Ben panted and adjusted his uniform which was barely put on correctly. Murph had rushed Ben over with a frantic voicemail. Ben was worried about Rand but was genuinely confused about the situation.

"What happened here?" Ben asked quietly.

Summer whipped her head to look at him and then quickly whipped back, seeming to be in shock. Ben scowled deeper. He had forgotten Summer's brief outburst the night before.

"Murph and I were checking on the Wireless Tower earlier, and when we came back, Rand was collapsed here," said Summer. "Leanne and Nema are nowhere to be seen."

Rand stood up fast but then collapsed into Summer's arms. "Leanne and Nema were kidnapped!"

"What?!" Ben shouted to all their surprise.

Summer looked back at him but looked longer this time. Ben's fists and jaw were clenched. His muscles flexed in his arms. Summer saw an enraged glare in his eyes. Ben seemed ready to punch a hole in the wall.

"A huge group of Pinchers suddenly came up from behind and hit me. As I was losing consciousness, I heard someone talking about using them as hostages," Rand explained.

Summer became furious. "That's terrible! Those Pinchers are unforgivable. If I get my hands on those lousy-"

"Do you know where they went?" Ben asked, cutting of Summer. He placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort. Ben felt Summer tense under his touch, so he quickly jumped away.

"Sadly, I don't know…"

"Rand," Summer said firmly, gaining his attention. "Pull yourself together! We'll get them back for sure! Who would do something so terrible? This couldn't be Red Eyes. He only cares about his own pride. Blue Eyes wouldn't even do something like this."

"The person ordering the Pinchers around looked like they were wearing a red uniform," Rand told them. "But it could also have been blue. Everything was going dark, so I couldn't see."

"Maybe purple?" Summer suggested. Once she said that Summer's Styler buzzed. "Oh, my Styler just started tracking something."

"Th-That must be Nema! She learned from Summer's actions in the submarine and started carrying around a homing device with her," Rand explained, rushing to Summer's side to look at the tracker.

"The beacon's position is somewhere around the center of Sophian Island," Summer read.

"Silver Falls," Rand corrected. "It's north of Aqua Resort, upstream."

"Suicune can take us there," Ben told the two.

"Leanne… Nema… I'm coming to save you," Rand boldly said.

Summer sighed. "Rand, you're injuries are too severe. I understand you want to save them, but you need to rest. Please, leave this to Ben and me."

Murph gulped when Rand glared at Summer. "I really know how you feel, but if you do something dangerous, your wife and daughter will be really mad. Ben and Summer are here to help you out. Please, stay here, and I can mend your injuries."

Rand paused. His normally tough attitude was completely shattered as he started to tear up. "Okay… I'll leave it to you…"

* * *

"A space like this behind a waterfall! It's amazing…" Summer whispered. "The interior must be…"

"Oblivia Ruins," Ben finished.

That was the first time that either of them had spoken the entire way to Silver Falls. Ben glanced at her, afraid to talk to her. He was worried that everything had been ruined between them. Summer had been acting weird all day. Her being weird made him act weird.

Ben followed a few steps behind Summer as they traveled through the cavern. The damp walkway smelled like a salt quarry. He sadly watched the back of her head, wondering if they had fallen back to square one.

Suddenly a Riolu attacked Summer, hitting her square in the chest. She leaned back into Ben's chest. He held her up as she scrambled back to her feet and captured the Pokemon.

"How did you find this place?" an angry Pincher snarled.

The Riolu fled as Summer had quick work of it. "Both of your leaders quit, so why are you still doing this?"

"I'm running away!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Summer replied and put the Pincher in a chokehold. "You are going to give us all the information we need."

"I'm not saying a single thing," the Pincher gasped out.

Ben watched as Summer and the Pincher struggled. Ben watched helplessly as he couldn't help but be enamored with Summer's toughness. He wanted to snap himself out of it, but he couldn't simply let go. Summer dragged the Pincher into an underground ruin. Summer glanced back at him for a split second. She seemed distracted.

"You are going to to take us to Leanne and Nema. I don't want to see another Pincher," Summer threatened. "You wouldn't want to fight against us."

Ben grabbed the Pincher as he tried to thrash around. Ben's headlock was much stronger than Summer's. The Pincher refused to help, so Ben squeezed tighter and knocked him out. He placed the Pincher on the side of the wall of the ruins.

"What do you think you're doing?" doomed an automated voice.

Ben looked at Summer who was stammering and frightened. "Wh-What's that?"

Ben turned to look at a tall man in purple with heavy-looking steel armor on. Ben couldn't see the man's face as it was covered by a mask. The mask was twisted in a fierce face as if he was a warrior.

"I am a Steelhead, a knight of old. No quarter will be given to those who disturb this sacred space. Leave this place immediately."

"This is too freaky," Ben whispered.

"A knight of old… Why have you come back?" Summer asked. The knight loomed over her, glaring. "S-Steelhead… sir! W-We don't have bad intentions! We just came here to search for our friends who are in this cave!"

Ben watched as Summer cowered. He had never seen the confident woman in such a fearful state. In her defense, the Steelhead looked like a possessed ghost of a person. It was like getting transported to the past.

"You should repent for coming here. Gabite, I summon thee!"

Two furious Gabite charged at the pair. Summer and Ben were able to capture the Pokemon quickly, but they felt a sinister hate in the Pokemon's hearts. This was different than dealing with the Pinchers. This Steelhead was somehow inflicting hatred on those Pokemon.

Summer snapped out of her fear and charged up to the Steelhead. "You were the one who attacked first. What's the big deal?"

The Steelhead fled from their sight in a blink of an eye. Summer turned to look at Ben, the longest she had looked at him all day.

"Knights from the distant past coming back…"

"Summer, what's wrong?" Ben said brashly as the pair navigated the ruins.

"What do you mean?" she said offhandedly. Ben was starting to get frustrated with her actions, but they had just reached a new point in the ruins. It was bright and green with water flowing through it. "Look!" Summer pointed out, choosing not to acknowledge Ben. "It's the ancient armor that the Steelhead wore."

"Summer."

"I wonder if it means that the armor has a life of its own."

"Summer."

"I saw a Pincher walk in a different direction. I can't believe the Pinchers haven't disbanded."

"Summer!"

She paused, staring at him with wide eyes. Ben never raised his voice at her.

"We need to talk about whatever is bothering you because we can't work as a team with this weird tension," Ben told her firmly. Pichu peeked over his head, making his firmness less intimidating.

_ZZZZ… Is...ZZZZ.. Nem...ZZZZ…. Come in, anyone?_

"That was Nema's voice! This is Summer!"

_I don't know where I am, but it's a room with a red door. Oh no!_

Summer paused as the feed was cut off. "We've been cut off… We need to hurry!"

"Summer…"

"We can talk later, but right now we have a mission to complete," Summer told him firmly. "Please, just wait until this is over."

"**Voicemail! Voicemail! Rand speaking!** **Ben and Summer, what is your current location?" **

Summer watched as Ben's face became sad. "We were in some cave in the inside of Silver Falls. It turned out to be Oblivia Ruins, according to Ben," Summer explained. "In addition to the Pinchers, we have ancient knights to worry about."

"**Ancient knights? I don't know what you're talking about, but the fact that you mentioned it is concerning. If anything happens, contact me right away!"**

Ben and Summer had reached a castle-like top of the ruins. Inside the castle, two Steelheads guarded the inside.

"Impure ones who would defile these ruins… leave this place at once!"

Four Claydols jumped out. Ben and Summer worked together like they usually did. Ben smirked a little. It was like Summer decided to not be weird anymore. She must have realized how much it worried him.

"Fearless fools," said one of the Steelheads. The Steelheads fled.

They had reached a large red door, but Summer pushed against it with no luck. It seemed to be locked. Summer and Ben turned to each other and smiled. They both kicked hard at the same time and the door came crashing down.

"Wh-What's doing on here? Why are these Rangers so tough?" said one of the Steelheads.

Summer smiled sweetly, causing the Steelheads to stare at her. "Oh, I get it. You aren't 'Knights of Old,' you're just Pinchers in old armor. Tell us where you're holding Leanne and Nema."

"You're too late. Our leader has already interviewed the pretty archeologist."

Pichu shocked them, causing them to yelp and flee. Once the Steelheads fled, a man in purple appeared in front of Ben and Summer with a sadistic smile.

"Who are you?" Summer asked the man.

He simply laughed. The man had purple hair with gray streaks in it. He wore a similar outfit to Blue Eye and Red Eyes. "So you two are responsible for the commotion. I'm surprised that the Steelheads didn't scare you away, but cheap tricks shouldn't work on trained Rangers such as yourselves."

"Purple Eyes," shouted Leanne. "I've told you everything you want to know. Now release Nema! Release my Nema just like you promised!" Leanne struggled against the two Steelheads that held her down in a chair. Nema struggled on the other side of the room with her own Steelhead guards.

Purple Eyes smiled. "How rude of me… I forgot to thank you for the interview. I'm grateful for your cooperation, Professor Leanne. However…" He smiled wider and laughed. "We still haven't deciphered all of the murals yet. I will still need your help for many things, Professor Leanne."

All of a sudden, Rand came charging in and knocked down the Steelhead guards holding Nema hostage. Ben and Summer looked at each other in surprise as the wind blew their hair.

"Are you alright, Nema?" he asked quietly. "Where is your mother?"

Purple Eyes cackled. "Oh, I see! Daddy's here to save you! Well, now that I think about it, one hostage is plenty."

"Forgetting someone?" Summer called out, her bravery showing no bounds. While Purple Eyes and everyone else was distracted, Ben and Summer took out the Steelheads guarding Leanne.

"Now's your chance Pichu," ordered Ben.

Pichu charged up and zapped the Steelhead guards. The guards yelped and knocked into each other, causing them to fall on their butts.

"Dear!" Leanne called out as she ran to Rand.

Purple Eyes walked towards Ben as smiled. "So, admirably, you managed to take back both hostages. Well, I guess you were able to give both Red Eyes and Blue Eyes trouble, but I'll warn you. The true leader of the Pokemon Pinchers is me, Purple Eyes. I'm leading my own team now and proceeding with my plan. Since I used both Blue Eyes and Red Eyes so well, I'm very close to achieving my goal. Of course, Blue Eyes couldn't fulfill her duties to my liking, so I fired her. Red Eyes did okay, but I no longer need him. I am disappointed that we lost the hostages, but we already obtained the necessary information for furthering my plan."

"Do you ever stop talking?" Summer responded, annoyed by his soliloquy.

"Don't worry, our ways will now part. Allow me to show you the finest entertainment," Purple Eyes announced.

A Garchomp crashed into the main area of the ruins. The Garchomp moved like a jet and slammed into Summer, knocking her into the wall. Ben leaped to her side and help her up. Summer doubled over in pain. Garchomp's rough skin sliced her.

"Summer, are you okay?" Ben asked quietly, holding her up.

"I'll survive, but we need to capture that Garchomp," she winced.

Blue dragon flames burst in their direction. Ben jumped to the side with her clinging to his shoulder. Pichu zapped Garchomp, but it wasn't enough to slow down Garchomp. Ben, Summer, and Rand worked together to capture the Garchomp. Ben was able to take charge of the capture and take down Garchomp. Garchomp fled as it was captured.

"I'm so glad everyone's safe," Summer whispered. Ben noticed the blood oozing from her side.

"Summer! Your side!"

"Oh, please," she said weakly. "It's nothing."

Ben picked her up bridal style much to her embarrassment. Ben noticed that she was just limply dangling from his shoulder so he might as well carry her.

"We need to get out of here," Ben ordered. Summer leaned softly on Ben's chest as she lost consciousness.

As they started to move out, Leanne told Ben, "The fact that the ancient armor is real proves that the mysterious ability to transform people's evil thoughts to power is also very much real. An Evil Ruler tried to use the power to conquer the world. The Hero of Oblivia was able to stop him with the alliance of Pokemon using his pure heart. It's quite similar to you, Ben. I believe Purple Eyes is looking for the Golden Armour. It turns one immortal. It was written in Amun's Book of Legends. I can fill Summer in when she comes to."

Ben rushed forward to take care of Summer, but Nema stopped him. "Ben, how long have you been waiting to carry Summer like this?" she chuckled as Ben blushed.

* * *

**Hello**

**I'm officially done with the school year, so I'll have more time to update. The major that I picked is really intense, so I didn't have a lot of free time. **

**Please review!**

**Peace (.#.)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Toasted**

Summer stirred in bed. She eyed her eyes to darkness. It seemed as if she had been knocked out until late at night. She attempted to raise herself up but winced in pain. She lifted up the large shirt she wore to see heavy bandaging wrapped around her stomach. Summer gingerly touched the bandages that wrapped around the curve of her waist.

She looked around. She was in Nema's room on her usual bed. It had to be around three in the morning. She heard heavy breathing near her. She glanced down and saw Ben sprawled on the floor.

"Ben?" Summer whispered.

"He refused to leave your side," said Nema, causing Summer to jump. She recoiled in pain.

"It's late. Why are you up?"

Nema chuckled and swiveled in her chair with a smile. "Oh, I've been tinkering with some things. Plus, I wanted to stay up in case something happened to you. Ben said he'd stay up, but he fell asleep fast."

Summer trained her eyes on Ben. He was still in uniform. His mouth hung open with a little bit of drool coming from the corner. Ben's limbs were spread out everywhere. Summer smiled softly.

"What did you do to him?" Nema said with a sly smile.

"What do you mean?" Summer responded.

Nema chuckled. "You have him wrapped around your finger. Ben carried you all the way from Oblivia Ruins. He even tended to that nasty gash you got there. After all that, my parents tried to get him to go at relax, but he won't leave your side."

Summer didn't respond but simply continued to stare at the sleeping Ben. "He's sweet, isn't he?"

Nema snorted. "He's sweet on you. You have to know that, right?"

Summer turned to look at Nema who was smiling evilly. She gripped the blanket she was under. "Can we not talk about this please?"

"Ben was telling me about how awkward the last day was. He said that he was worried that he did something wrong. Can you imagine? A nice guy like Ben fretting over nothing. Is it nothing?"

"Nema, I don't need to be reminded," Summer responded.

Nema got up from her chair as smiled. "I know it's none of my business, but you care about him and he cares about you. How can you sit back and ruin a relationship with someone that you have a genuine connection with?" Nema paused. "I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic that wants to see two people that I consider friends to make each other happy. If you don't care about Ben like I believe you do, then just let him go."

Summer looked down at her hands and then Ben. "It's not as easy as it seems, but… I'll fix this when I get a chance. I was afraid I'd mess things up."

"How'd you mess things up? What? Did you kiss him or something? I don't know how you'd mess things up because Ben really likes you."

"It's called the kiss of life," Summer whisper shouted.

"I'm talking about something else."

"How do you know about that?" Summer stammered. She clapped her hands over her mouth.

Nema turned and smiled. "I didn't… but now I do."

* * *

Ben and Summer regrouped in Leanne's library with Murph, Leanne, and Rand. Summer still felt stiff but acted tough. Her side ached painfully. Garchomp slashed her deep. It was going to scar.

"Purple Eyes," Leanne started. "We incessantly asking about the location of the legendary Pokemon Zapdos. If Purple Eyes finds Zapdos… The three Pokemon on the mural, Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos, will all have been awoken."

"Is that Purple Eyes' goal then?" Rand asked. "What will happen if they are awoken?"

"That's what I was looking into, and then…"

"And then?" Summer followed up, her voice was hoarse.

Nema trotted in. "Mom, the pictures are ready!" she sang. She placed the pictures on the table and stood next to Summer, flashing a sly smile. Ben watched the exchanged and wondered to himself.

"These are pictures of the murals," Leanne explained while passing them around.

"So this is Oblivia in the past…" Summer started. "What kind of terror is happening here?"

"According to the ancient script on the murals, it is some kind of fortress, a terrible fortress that brought disaster to the world," Leanne explained

"Could Purple Eyes be interested in the power of that fortress?" Summer asked. She winced a little.

Ben held her up and gingerly smiled. "Please don't push yourself."

Summer blushed a little and composed herself. She didn't dare look at Nema because she knew Nema was smirking.

"Question!" announced Murph. "What do those three legendary Pokemon have to do with that fortress?"

"The other mural has Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos drawn on it, so they do have something to do with it," Rand explained.

"Where is Purple Eyes heading?" Ben asked.

Leanne paused. "Mt. Layuda. I told him that is the site when I deciphered the murals… I can't believe I told him all that information…"

"Leanne, please don't worry about that," Summer told her. "Anyone would have done the same thing in your situation."

Leanne smiled and hugged Summer. "Thank you… I'll continue. People don't go to Mt. Layuda. It's northwest of here and is always surrounded by lightning clouds."

"Ben, let's go," Summer started but then doubled over in pain.

Ben panicked. "Summer, you can't go with injuries like that. It's too dangerous. If something happened to you…"

Summer collected herself. "Rangers get hurt all the time. I'm not stopping because of a little scratch."

* * *

Ben was officially in a bad mood. He begged Summer to stay back at Rand's house, but she refused. They flew to Mt. Layuda, but the storms were too severe to travel through. It would be too dangerous to fly their Staraptor through the intense lightning. They landed on Tilikule Island and found a Monument to Latios.

"Latios could help us get to Mt. Layuda," Summer explained after reading the Ivolith.

"Me, not you," Ben told her. "I next to get you back. You aren't looking so good, Summer."

She got up as turned to look at him. "You need to stop. I've made up my mind."

Ben scowled deeply. His patience was wearing thin. "Why won't you listen to me?!" he shouted.

Summer paused. She stared at him while he fumed. She had never seen Ben so worked up, not even when facing the likes of Red Eyes. They had been arguing the whole time they were out, so Summer was surprised that he had lasted this long before bursting.

"I don't understand why you can't take no for an answer!" Summer snapped back. She got up in his face. "I'm fine! You're suffocating me, Ben! I don't need you hovering over me like my mom! Actually, my parents do even hover over me as you do!"

"Well, excuse me for caring about you!" Ben shouted. He got quiet. "...Stubborn woman…"

"What did you say?"

Ben's eyes flared up again. "I. Said. Stubborn woman!"

Ben saw a flash of light. All of his rage faded away as a gust of wind crashed into his face. An Emblem appeared before Ben's eyes. Latios appeared before the pair. Summer stared in awe.

"I guess Latios likes the sound of arguing," said Summer.

Right as she had said that, Latias appeared before Summer. She jumped and reached out to touch Latias. She giggled as Latias flew around her, playing with Summer.

Ben laughed as he jumped on top of Latios. "Summer, it seems that Latias has taken a liking to you. With Latios and Latias, we can fly through the rough skies above Mt. Layuda."

Summer wasn't listening. Instead, she was flying around on Latias. Ben smiled as she cheered as she and Latias did barrel rolls and big loops. Ben couldn't stay mad at her.

* * *

Mt. Layuda was beautiful but terrifying. There were yellow crystals bursting from the grey, jagged stones. Lightning bolts crashed down every few seconds. Pinchers weren't giving Summer and Ben many issues due to the fact that they all fled in fear.

Ben and Summer ran up the mountain, not stopping for breaks. They didn't have time to deal with the few Pinchers that tried to stop them.

Ben stormed to the summit, Summer gasping behind him. He had not taken into consideration that Summer was probably in pain.

It was dark at the top with storm clouds. Purple Eyes hovered over the sleeping Zapdos. "Oblivia will be developed in boundless fear. Now is that time!"

"You have a knack for spouting idiotic nonsense," said Summer. "It's a true talent."

The shrew man turned. He looked annoyed for a brief moment, but his attitude changed when he saw the state that Summer was in. "Huh… now, this is a surprise. Impressive, passing through those terrible thunderclouds. I'm also impressed that you were able to muster yourself here, Miss Ranger. You received quite the nasty cut from my Garchomp. I didn't expect to see you here."

Summer's eyebrows furrowed. "We're going to make you wish you'd just given up!" Summer shouted at him weakly.

"We'll see who wishes they'd given up," He turned to the squad of pincher behind them. "Crush them!"

Summer pushed Ben to the side. "Ben, stop Purple Eyes. These guys look like they are going to fight with their fists. I've been trained in hand-to-hand combat, so I can take them."

Ben watched helplessly as Summer took on the whole squadron of Pinchers with ease. Ben swore he learned new things about Summer every day. She impressively blocked and fought back against the Pinchers.

Purple Eyes angry mashed his teeth. "I suppose I have no choice. I, the pinnacle of the Pinchers, will take you on."

A Metagross landed in front of Ben and made him stumble back. Ben started to capture the slow Pokemon. It blasted intense beams at Ben's feet but he was able to jump out of the way. Ben landed on Metagross's head. He held on as Metagross spun around, trying to knock him off. Ben gripped his fingers into the cracks of Metagross's head and let himself be spun around.

He jumped off and continued to dodge the blasts. Ben glanced back to Summer for a split second. She was nearly finished with the squad of Pinchers. Ben, in a gust of bravery, ran up to the Metagross to finally capture it.

Purple Eyes stumbled back, his slicked head becoming disheveled. "This can't be…" he glanced back and Zapdos was still in its slumber. "This world was so close to becoming mine… Zapdos! Why won't you awaken?!" He looked like a madman as he yelled at the Pokemon. His eyes became wide and frantic.

"This is embarrassing, Purple Eyes," said a voice from behind Summer who had just knocked out the last Pincher of the squad. A Z.Z Flyer with a man hidden behind a screen. "I've lost faith in you. Since when? When did you start thinking about making the world yours?" The voice was warped, so Ben couldn't hear who it was. "Don't forget your place. You're nothing more than one of our pawns."

Summer panted and stepped to Ben's side. She looked pale and exhausted. "Of course… There has to be another leader," she whispered.

Purple Eyes stood quietly as the mystery man scolded him brutally. "I heard it wasn't your knowledge that solved the mystery of the murals but rather Professor Leanne's. Even though we gave you a great treasure of mysterious gauntlets and armor from the past, you weren't even able to put them to good use. This failure clinched it. Purple Eyes, listen well. You're no longer needed in our society. Your scene ends here. From now on, I'll take the stage myself." He flew over to Zapdos.

Purple Eyes stood rigid. Zapdos was sleeping peacefully. Ben watched expectantly. What would this man do differently?

"Zapdos! Now is the time to wake from your endless slumber!" From his Z.Z Flyer, the man blasted Zapdos with a beam.

Zapdos's eyes snapped open. The air became charged as Zapdos flapped its wings. Bolts of lightning crashed on the ground. As it flew away, a blast of lightning was headed Ben's way. Summer gasped and tackled him down. Summer took part of the blow as she couldn't avoid it completely.

Ben scurried back to his feet, holding the limp and smoking Summer in his hands. "Summer!" he cried out. "Summer, wake up!"

The mystery leader hovered over Ben and Summer. "It took longer than I expected, but even the work of those young Pincher was a little valuable," he said while pointing to the pile of beaten up Pinchers. "Decent work, I guess."

"Who are you?" Ben asked, his voice cracking.

"You'll know soon enough, Ben. I suggest you get Summer some medical attention. It looks like her wound reopened."

"H-How do you know our names?" Ben asked, holding Summer closer to his body.

"Farewell." He flew away.

Summer stirred in Ben's arms. Ben gasped to look down at her fluttering her eyes. She said a thick layer of ash on her face under a layer of sweat. She glanced down to the blood oozing from her cut, staining her uniform. "That's not good," she grunted.

"Summer, I…"

She got up from his arms and wobbled to the edge of the summit. She jumped. Ben panicked and rand to the edge, but Summer floated up with Latias. "Come on, we need to follow that man."

Ben just smiled. "You're crazy. Can I at least bandage you up before we go?"

* * *

**Howdy**

**What did you think of this update? Nothing like a little minor fight to get things going. **

**Please review! Also, I take requests, so let me know.**

**Peace ((..))**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

**Unmasking**

"Wasn't that Kasa?" Summer asked as they landed in Oblivia Ruins. Latios and Latias and led them there.

"I didn't see," Ben told her.

"I'm glad you didn't fight me about going," Summer told him, bandages thickly wrapped around her waist.

"Well, you didn't leave me much of an option, Summer."

They smiled at each other. Ben wiped some of the ashy lightning residues from her face. They had almost forgotten where they were until Pichu zapped Ben's head. He scowled and rubbed his head, walking into the main castle.

There was a commotion like there was a party. As Summer and Ben traveled deeper in, the talking got louder. As they reached the farthest they could go, they found a tea party with Hocus, Kasa, and Arley. Steelheads were guarding the table.

"It-Its you guys," Summer said in shock. "What are you all doing here?"

"As you can see, we're having a tea party," Arley told them "Why don't you join us?"

Ben and Summer cautiously sat at the table with them. They were passed tea, finger sandwiches, and little scones. Summer's dirtied hand reached out and held the pretty porcelain cup in her hands. The cup shook as it reached her lips.

"My," said Kasa. "You look like you've been put through the wringer, Summer. I'd say the same for you, Ben, but I'm afraid you don't look nearly as beaten down as Summer does" she paused. "Today's tea party is a little different. It's a very special tea party."

"The tea is delicious, right?" Hocus added. He turned to look at Ben. "Oh, why aren't you drinking any tea, Ben?"

"Yes, Ben," Summer continued. "Don't be rude." She flared her eyes at him, tilting her head towards the tea. "Drink the tea."

Ben cautiously raised the cup to his lips. He and Summer stared at each other nervously. "Very good."

"Still a man of few words, I suppose," Hocus added. "The tea is a Darjeeling tea imported from Haruba Village."

"Oh," Summer piped up. "Ben is from Haruba Village. Ben, are you familiar with this tea?" She had a fake cheer to her voice.

Ben paused, understanding that she was playing along to get details as to what was happening. Kasa answered for him. "Oh, dear. I doubt he has. A man of Ben's standing would never."

How would she know something like that? Summer paused in shock, staring at Ben as his eyebrows furrowed. She laughed nervously and sipped her tea. "What brings you here?... To such a dangerous place?"

"Are you talking about the Steelhead?" Arley asked. "If so, don't worry. I've employed them to be our hired help today."

Summer smiled. "When you are finished with this tea party, Ben and I will get you out of here. You see, Ben and I need to be going. We are looking for-" Summer stopped talking when the Steelhead held her and Ben down.

"What's all the commotion?" said Edward as he walked over.

Summer and Ben stared at each other. The situation was starting to get odder by the second. Summer simply sipped on the tea. She had told ben of her suspicious of Dr. Edward, but he simply thought that she was too skittish.

"I didn't realize that the two Rangers were invited guests," Edward added as he sat down.

"Not particularly," Summer told him. "We are in the middle of a dangerous mission."

"You are all busy as ever, I see," Arley added while eating a finger sandwich. "Ben, try the sandwiches. The cucumber sandwiches are excellent."

"I'm not hungry," Ben said gruffly.

"I'm glad these two came to take a rest. They look overworked. Look at Summer… She's falling to pieces," Kasa told Edward.

"Since we are here, do you mind looking at Summer's wound?" Ben asked.

Edward went silent and ate a scone. He then washed it down with tea.

"Not only do we have excellent tea, but I've also prepared an excellent illusion. It will be even more fun with guests than it would be with just us. Don't you agree, Arley?"

Arley choked on his tea. "I-I suppose. Err… Well…"

"Arley, what's the matter?" Hocus asked.

"N-nothing's the matter…I hate acting. Come one, Ed, isn't it okay by now?"

Summer smiled as she had just trapped them in a cage. Arley stammered more as Summer stared him down. "Yes, why don't we stop the fake politeness?"

Edward giggled a little behind his tea. His mustache moved as he snickered. His giggles grew to a cackle. "Arley, you're as awkward as ever. Fine. I thought this would be a fun way to kill time until the show, but you're right, we don't need a ridiculous farce like this at this late hour."

"I knew there was something off about you folks," Summer told them as she struggled a bit under the steelhead. "I'm surprised you had Purples Eyes on a leash like that."

Edward rolled his shoulder. "Oh, I had to lift my weary bones in a manner unbecoming for my age," he groaned.

"So you were to one who woke Zapdos, huh, Edward?" Ben asked.

"It's Dr. Edward to you," he scolded. "And yes. I'm surprised you got that. You seemed like the dumb one in the pairing. I was hoping that Summer would be the only one to catch on."

"Hey, watch it!" Summer snapped, the Steelheads having to hold her down. "Stop talking about Ben like that!"

"We are The Sociotea," Hocus told them.

"The society? The society of what?" Summer asked.

"The Socio-Tea," Hocus affirmed. "Emphasis on the tea. Do not mock us. We're a fantastic group of friends who've used our money to support the Pokemon Pinchers and worked toward the goal of realizing our grand dream."

"The only things we didn't plan on were your appearance and Purple Eyes' treachery," Arley added.

"But even that was no more than the opening act to warm up for the big show that's about to start," announced Kasa.

Edward laughed. "I wonder if you remember the fitting words that traitor Purple Eyes spoke: 'This world is so close to becoming mine…' That line is perfect for me right now."

"Who are all of you really?" Summer asked, her eyes narrowing.

They turned to look at each other, devious smiles on their faces.

"I'm Kasa. I'm a master of disguise so accomplished that only I know what I really look like."

"I'm Hocus. I was called the miraculous magician because no one alive has figured out my tricks."

"I'm Arley. In the past, I was a feared wrestler known as Arley the Destroyer! And I'm training hard as ever!"

"Finally, as you know, I am Edward. Being a doctor is my cover. I was known and feared as Ed 'The Thinker,' and there was nothing I couldn't steal. The four of us started working as The Sociotea over 40 years ago. We've been all over the world, stealing anything worth calling treasure. We're such a perfect team that it even amazing me. I'm the master planning, and Kasa handles disguises. Hocus is crafty, and Arley is strong. There wasn't anything the four of us couldn't steal, but… even this perfect team couldn't beat old age. The Sociotea broke up, and I started living peacefully here in Oblivia."

"How could the deceive the people of Oblivia like that?" Summer asked. "They worship you!"

Edward smiled. "I was born bad. I couldn't be expected to take the boredom of elegant and simple life. No thrills, no excitement. All I had was time to waste, but I couldn't stand the inevitable fact that I was old. The people here were just so gullible. They told me all I needed to know about the legend of the Immortal Ruler who wore Golden Armor. I called the old gang and started collecting information. You'd be surprised how easy it was to find the wonderful relics left in Oblivia by the Ancient Ruler."

Kasa giggled. "My first discovery from the ruins was a great number of suits of strange armor and Control Gauntlets left by ancient warriors called the Steelhead."

On cue, Hocus snapped his fingers and each member had a piece of golden armor one. Kasa had the right arm on, Arley had the breastplate on, Hocus had the left arm on, and Edward had the shoulder piece on.

Ben felt unease. The golden armor was intricately designed with an etching of patterns. He could feel the power of the armor from where he sat, and Pichu clung closer to Ben's neck. Summer looked brave at that moment, nothing but anger in her eyes. Ben wasn't sure how he looked. He knew he naturally looked stoic, but he wasn't so sure in that moment.

"As you can see, we are wearing parts of the armor," Arley told them, patting the golden armor on his chest. "We have nothing to fear because being immortal means we never have to worry about getting old-let alone dying."

"Just wearing the Golden Armor alone, however, is not everything. The Ancient Ruler obtained a power that was so terrible that not only Oblivia but the entire world fell to its knees. That unlimited power is about to be resurrected," Edward chuckled, excited at the thought of it.

The ground started to shake. "What's happening?"

"My meddlesome Rangers…" Edward started. "We'll spare your lives, because of the courage and wisdom it took to get this far." He pointed to the tea that was shaking and spilling of the table. "Have some tea while you sit here and watch the return of The Sociotea, the new eternal rulers!"

"Where are you going?" Summer called out as the members got up and left. Summer struggled in her seat as the door closed behind the members. She was too weak to fight off the Steelheads.

Ben pushed off the Steelhead and knocked him out with one punch. The other Steelhead tried to hold Summer down but was knocked out by Pichu zapping him.

"We have to escape!" Ben shouted while picking up a knocked out Steelhead. "It's dangerous here."

Summer grabbed the other and rushed out alongside Ben. The rocks on the wall started to crumble from the ceiling. The pair barely escaped the crumbling castle with the knocked out Steelheads.

"What in the world is going on?!" Summer shouted over the rumbling. She turned to the sky and gasped. "Ben!"

A giant oval-shaped fortress rose into the sky. Each side of the corners had a giant cannon. The rumbling intensified as a cannon charged up and shot a beam at a distant island. There was a bright light and then an explosion. Pichu tensed up and ran to the edge to see the island was no more.

Summer stumbled back in shock. "No way… Dolce Island… It's gone…"

"People of Oblivia!" shouted Edward as it echoed loudly from the fortress. "We are the new rulers of Oblivia! Go outside now, and look at the sky! People of Oblivia, now you have witnessed an unbelievable scene. In the past, there was an immortal ruler here in Oblivia! This person of legend left us these gifts: the immortality-granting Golden Armor and this Sky Fortress! Now, behave and submit to us, The Sociotea, who have obtained eternal life and unbelievable power! If you don't, this Light of Judgement that we just showed you will certainly destroy the islands of Oblivia one by one!"

"Pichu's home was destroyed," Ben whispered. "I will not forgive them."

Summer turned to Ben, "We are the only ones who can stop them. We have to break into the Sky Fortress."

Ben and Summer took to the sky with Latios and Latias. The air around the fortress was thick with pressure. Like jets, Ben and Summer rushed to the fortress.

"That thing is enormous. We have to stop them before they do something else that can't be undone!" She suddenly rolled away, dodging a mysterious figure. "Ben! Dodge!"

Ben rolled away as Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos flew passed them. A barrier was made around the fortress.

"Moltres and the others made a barrier around the Sky Fortress? Could there be a way to break the barrier? Latias, do you want to check it out?" She and Latias rammed it but bounced off. "We can't make a direct assault. Let's go back to Rand's House. Leanne might have made progress on deciphering the text."

* * *

When they returned to Rand's house, Nema rushed to Summer's side. "Summer, are you okay?" she asked.

Summer walked straight the counter and fell in a chair. "Yeah, but I've been better."

"We have a huge problem now," Rand said glumly.

Nema frowned and adjusted her glasses. "I'm scared."

"It wasn't Purple Eyes that woke Zapdos, it was actually… Edward." Summer could hardly get his name out.

Rand paused. "I just heard that voice from the sky, too… I don't believe it. Edward of all people is the boss behind all of what has been happening. When he learned of the existence of the Golden Armor…"

"He couldn't decipher the ancient script, so he invited Purple Eyes who had a little experience with archeology. While Purple Eyes could decode the script, they could not find out where Zapdos rested."

"What is the sky fortress barrier like?" Rand asked.

"Impenetrable," Summer told them as she wiped her face with a wet rag to clean it. "Latias couldn't break it." She looked back at their shock. "Long story."

"I want to show you something in my library," Leanne told them. Once in the library, Leanne told them. "The Sky Fortress's functions were restored by the power of the three awakened Pokemon. Their power also created a barrier to protect the fortress. They are being used." She pulled out another picture. "Look at this. At the base of the rainbow…"

"The grail from the Rainbow Festival," Ben whispered.

"This is what's written about it in the ancient script: 'The three lords of the sky were fooled by an evil power. In order to free them, the Hero of Oblivia bore the Rainbow Grail to the Rainbow Dais.'"

"Just like in the Rainbow Festival," Nema added.

Ben held the picture to his face. "The rest says: 'In order the free them, the Hero of Oblivia bore the Rainbow Grail to the Rainbow Dais. The shining Rainbow that finally appeared freed fire, ice, and lightning from the Evil Ruler.'"

Leanne looked at him with surprise, her jaw hanging. "Y-Yes…"

Summer turned to him. "How did you do that?"

"I… I don't know. I just can all of the sudden," Ben responded.

"That's amazing," Nema said with cheer. "Ben, you're so cool."

"I guess…"

Summer clicked her tongue in annoyance. "We should do some research. Booker should know more about the Festival." She got up from her chair, but her knees wobbled. She supported herself on Ben's shoulder. She panted and rested her cheek on Ben's shoulder.

"We have to take care of you first," Ben said while holding her up. "You've been through a lot."

* * *

**Hiya**

**We are starting to get close to the big finale. While Ben has changed quite a bit through the story, he's going to change a lot in the next few updates. If you have any requests for the story, let me know. I love hearing from you. **

**I'd like to thank those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed. You know who you are. I appreciate it a lot. It makes writing so much more fun. **

**Don't forget to review.**

**Peace ᕮэヘэᕭ**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Ben and the Last Crusade**

Summer was stiff, but healthy two days later. Thanks to the help of a few healing Pokemon and Ben's diligent care, Summer was able to make a full recovery. At least a semi-full recovery. She was healthy enough to actually patrol with Ben. Unfortunately, that Garchomp really did leave a nasty scar on her side.

"Ben," Summer started. "We need to talk."

Ben stopped in his tracks and glanced back at her, eventually turning fully to the girl. "What's up?"

Summer bit her lip. This was the conversation that she didn't want to start, but it was necessary. Ben looked at her quietly, waiting for her first words. Her facial expression has not a good sign.

"This unspoken thing… between us… it just can't happen," Summer explained. She figured a blunt start to the conversation was the best way to go. "I wanted to pretend that it wasn't real by simply ignoring it, but I just can't. I need to put a boundary between us."

She hated how unreadable Ben was. His face was often aloof and distant, seeming as if he was a cold person. Summer learned fast that Ben was much more than his seemingly unemotional facade. She remembered how Ben never looked people in the eyes, but now he stared at her with such intensity. Ben was almost unrecognizable. He had grown so much over the long time they had been on Oblivia. The timid, distant boy that she had known in Ranger School was no longer in front of her. Ben had become a brave hero, a hero that had nice muscles if she dare think it.

"Ben, please say something."

He opened his mouth and then closed it. Summer waited painfully for his response. "I'm not good with… people, so I'll just say this now. I don't have many friends. Summer, I may not have known you for a long time, but you're my best friend." He took a step closer to her, holding her hands in his. "The way you make me feel… it's-"

"Stop right there," Summer stopped him, raising a hand to his face. "I shouldn't hear this. I-I'm rejecting these feelings. I can't, no, we can't do this. It's one of the first rules: Don't get in a romantic relationship with your partner. It's dangerous in a situation like this." Summer stammered on as Ben smiled at her, causing her to trail into silence.

"I've never been one to follow the rules," Ben said in a low voice.

"S-Stop making this so hard," Summer said painfully.

"I can't help it. I'm simply bewitched by you." Ben's body temperature rose. He had never in his lift said something so embarrassing. He tried his very best to stay firm. "I might as well tell you how I feel."

Summer was beet red. She looked like she would explode on the spot. Her mind jumped to all sorts of different ways to respond, but she couldn't settle. Her chest tightened up.

"You read too many romance novels," she mumbled. "I-I can't!"

"Why not?"

Her eyes dimmed. "I'm just not ready for this type of relationship right now. I need to keep my mind on our mission, and… I'm already distracted enough. Ben, it's not fair to you. I thought that I could handle myself, but then I kissed you and things got messy. I care about you, Ben. I want nothing more than to give all of my attention to you, but we are in the middle of a crisis."

"I understand," Ben said sadly. "I knew you would say that, but I was hoping you wouldn't. You're much more by the book than I am. It makes sense though, considering your background."

Summer cocked her head to the side and smiled. She raised a hand and cupped Ben's cheek. "I have a lot of people in my life, but you might be one of my most cherished relationships outside my family. I promise we can come back to this topic but right now we need to drop it."

* * *

"Maybe she just really doesn't like you, Ben," Nick told him while treating some wood. "She's a nice girl, so she probably didn't want to hurt your feelings. I mean, Summer is way out of your league."

"Nick!" Booker snapped. "Ben doesn't need t'hear that right now."

Ben continued to work on the Pokemon shelter for the Dolce Island Pokemon that fled to Renbow Village. "It's really okay. Summer has her reasons." Summer had been avoiding Ben ever since she talked to him about their relationship. He would see her walk across town, glancing at him and then dashing the opposite side of town.

"Don't worry, boy," Booker said with a smile as he smacked Ben's back, knocking him forward a bit. "You're a catch."

Ben snorted a little, cracking a small smile. "Say, I've asked around, but do you know anything about the real Rainbow Grail. I need to find it."

"I don't know what this is about, but if you say so…" Booker grabbed the paper mache grail and handed it to him. "Here ya go."

"The real one," he repeated.

Booker took the replica back and frowned. "The real one's kept safe in another spot in Rasp Cavern. Ben, if you're serious about it, the real Hero's Trial is waitin' for ya. I can take ya to the spot, but after that…"

"I understand. Let's go right away."

Nick piped up. "You should go get Summer."

Ben paused. "No. I should do this myself." He turned to stare Booker in the eyes. "She's looking for the real location of the Rainbow Dais. Plus, I'm a little too embarrassed to face her right now."

* * *

Ben and Booker stood before a thick rock slab. On the slab was the symbol of the Rainbow Dais. It felt so familiar to Ben even though he had never been there before.

"I can't imagine how many years it has been since this was last open," Booker started.

Ben reached out to touch the slab and it glowed a rainbow hue and slid apart. The smell of damp, musty corridors automatically filled the room. Ben stumbled back, covering his nose.

"Ugh, it smells like it hasn't been open for a couple of thousand years," Ben grumbled.

"How did you do that?" Booker asked him.

Ben turned back at him. He had forgotten that not everyone understood what was going on with him. "I don't really know. I just kind of feel it."

"You really are the Hero of Oblivia," Booker told him breathlessly. "Summer was right."

"Wait, Summer talked to you about me."

Booker laughed and pushed him forward. "Summer talks about you to everyone. Just get in there, Hero."

Ben snorted and walked into the darkness. Pichu charged its cheeks and lit the way for Ben. On the walls were murals of Pokemon working with humans. The symbol of the Rainbow Dais was painted in random spots. Ben shuddered. It was cold.

He reached an open arena with Ancient Script on the ground. He felt like a fighter in an area with stone Pokemon statues staring down at him with their mouths open. "Oh, new hero who quests for the shining rainbow. Peace is something made by hearts that desire it. Show the strength of a heart that will conquer fear," Ben read to Pichu.

The ground began to rumble. Flames, bolts of lightning, and ice shards appeared out of nowhere in the mouths of the Pokemon and attacked Ben. Ben and Pichu nimbly dodged the attacks from the stone Pokemon. Ben was hit directly from a lightning bolt and stumbled back. He knew his hair was frizzed up as this point. He took a deep breath but then saw the ice shards flying towards him. Weakly, Ben raised his hand to block it and took a shard to the forearm.

Ben recoiled in pain and yanked the shard out, spilling drops of his blood on the floor. He grit his teeth and jumped to dodge a ball of fire. He narrowly escaped without burning himself. Pichu was in danger of an ice shard coming its way, so Ben covered it with his body. He cradled Pichu in his arms, waiting for the blow, but it never came.

He slowly uncurled and looked up to see the Pokemon statues ceased their fire. Ben sighed heavily and glanced at a new open door. "Looks like these trials are much more high risk, huh?" he told Pichu who strummed in reply.

The next room looked to overhang a cliff that led to nothing but darkness. Ben assumed it led to a bad fate. "Oh, new hero who quests for the shining rainbow. Peace is the result of a series of single steps. Show the courage to ignore doubt and keep walking on." Ben gulped looking at the pit of nothingness.

The gorge was at least a quarter mile long with no means to reach the other side. He kicked a pebble as listened as it struck the cliff on the way down. He thought about the words as his knees knocked while looking down into the pit. He knew what he had to do as he glanced at the open door on the other side of the gorge.

Ben untied his scarf and tied it around his eyes. If he needed peace and courage to ignore the fact that he would plummet to nothingness, blindfolded would be the best way. Ben's heart pounded.

He stepped to the very edge and covered his eyes completely. He raised his chin and frowned. "Okay, Pichu," Ben started. "I need you to close your eyes. I'm to do something crazy. I need you to trust me."

Pichu zapped him lightly, showing his trust. Ben steadied his breath and stepped forward. He expected to fall, but he was firm on something. Step by step, Ben firmly walked across the gorge by some mysterious force. Ben conjured all of his courage to cross the pit.

With his hands out wide and trembling, Ben crossed to the other side. He felt the familiar feeling of the stone floor behind his feet. He ripped his scarf down to his neck and laughed. He collapsed down and kissed the ground as Pichu cheered.

The next room was darker than the last two. "Oh, new hero who quests for the shining rainbow. Peace is not something stolen with power. Show the wisdom to blake the correct path."

There was a single light coming from a blazing beacon. Ben and Pichu walked up to his to see a torch next to the flame. There were a dozen paths to light and each ended with a different grail. Each grail differed immensely. Ben trained his eyes on each grail. Some were ornate with etchings, some were covered in jewels, and some were painted rainbow for its namesake. Ben really wasn't sure what kind of wisdom would help him. His eyes stopped on a grail that was smaller than the others. The interior was gold, but the exterior was faded dabs of color. It was covered in cobwebs and dust. Ben lit the path.

A rainbow light appeared as the flame reached the end. The paths to the other grails crumbled. Ben walked up to the grail as Absol jumped in front of him. Absol stared at Ben and led him to the grail.

_Hail, Hero of Oblivia. You have chosen wisely. Oh, Hero with the pure heart, bring peace with the Rainbow Grail. I am the guardian of the Rainbow Grail. The Grail will bring life and salvation. Now, take the Rainbow Grail and save Oblivia._

Ben held the Rainbow Grail in his hands. He felt the power of the grail surge through his veins. Absol bowed to Ben.

"Hero of Oblivia, huh?" Ben started while observing the grail in his hands, rubbing the dust from it. "Not bad for a nobody from Haruba Desert."

* * *

**Hey**

**Sorry for the longish holdup. I was busy, ya know? I might get another update in before my vacation. I'll be gonzo. **

**I hope you liked the nod to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I've always loved that movie, and I figured it applied to the trials that Ben would have to go through. **

**Don't forget to review!**

**Peace .^. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Into the Fortress

The salty sea air was starting to shift. Ben knew this feeling quite well. In Haruba Village, there was always a shift in the winds to indicate when a big storm was coming. Ben leaned his elbows on the edge of The Union, watching the water foam next to the boat while holding the Rainbow Grail tightly in his hands.

After Ben returned to town with the real Rainbow Grail, Leanne explained to him that he needed to find the Rainbow Dais. Luckily for them, Ben faintly remembered seeing the symbol when he plummeted to the sea. Summer confirmed his idea after her research with Leanne. Ben's Voice Navigator was able to recall the exact coordinates from where Ben had crashed into the water. There they all were, traveling on the Union.

"Ben," Murph shouted. "The water is getting rocky. Get off the ledge. We don't want you to fall overboard, right Summer?"

Summer walked over to him quietly, startling Ben as she joined him. "We're almost there," she said quietly. "I know you can somehow complete the Hero's Trial and walk on thin air, but I'm not sure how well you'd fare in the open ocean."

Ben turned to her. She was acting as nothing had happened between them. Ben wasn't the type to use energy to pry into other people's lives, so he simply decided to let it go. "You forgot that I passed the Trial of Wisdom." He tapped his temple. "I've got the brains to survive."

Summer rolled her eyes and pulled him away from the ledge. "Whatever you say, Hero."

"D-Don't call me a Hero."

Summer smirked deviously. "Why not? That's what you are, isn't it?"

There. Right there was what he was talking about. Summer was too charming for her own good. It was the way she leaned forward ever so slightly and batted her eyes upwards at him. It was lethal, and Ben assumed Summer didn't know it. If she did, then Summer was evil.

"I mean, now that I've taken the Trial… I guess I really am the Hero of Oblivia," Ben said with a smirk and a wink.

Summer scoffed and punched his shoulder. "Don't let it get to your head."

The rain started to pick up and the boat started to rock, knocking Summer and Ben into each other.

"This is the position, Ben!" Murph shouted over the wind.

Ben pulled his goggles over his eyes and dove into the ocean. He didn't remember his first time near the Rainbow Dais, but now… he felt the power surging through his blood. As he swam down, Ben saw several stone columns of various ruin states. The Rainbow Grail started to collect light and glow.

He reached the Rainbow Symbol on a stone platform. By that time, the Grail was covered in bright, healing light. Ben landed on the stone platform and placed the Grail on the symbol. A rainbow appeared from the Rainbow Grail and shot into the sky. The platform underneath him rumbled and climbed up. Ben gasped for air as the Rainbow Dais reached its pinnacle in the clouds.

"Ben!" Summer shouted as she jumped from Staraptor's back onto the Rainbow Dais. "You stopped the storm! Just when I noticed a rainbow shooting out of the ocean, this thing…" Summer waved her hands around, "...This is the real Rainbow Dais, right?"

"Yes," Ben told her, brushing his wet hair back and pulling his goggles up.

Summer smiled and jumped into his arms, laughing. Ben laughed as well and spun her he stopped and placed her down, they stood in the soaking wet embrace. Ben and Summer simply smiled at each other tenderly. Summer inched closer and so did Ben.

Ben was about the flutter his eyes shut when Summer jumped back. "T-That was incredibly inappropriate of me." She took another step back and whispered quietly to herself so Ben couldn't hear. "But he has such soft lips…"

Ben didn't want to stir the pot, so he said nothing. He didn't think of it inappropriate, but he was positive that Summer was going through the situation over and over in her head. He sighed to himself, focusing on the beads of water dripping down his chin.

The sky started to sparkle. Ben, Summer, and Pichu looked around when a mysterious Pokemon cried out. Summer gasped as Ho-Oh appeared before them. Its wings sparkled with light and reflected rainbows.

"Unbelievable… I never thought I'd see the legendary Pokemon Ho-Oh like this." As if in a trance, Summer reached out to touch Ho-Oh. "I wonder if I can form a bond with Ho-Oh… No, that's silly. Ben, that's the job of the hero."

"Summer, take Staraptor and fly away. It's going to get dangerous," Ben said while starting to capture Ho-Oh.

Ho-Oh shot white flames at Ben. Ben was able to dodge easily. It was easy to reach Ho-Oh due to all the training that Ben and undergone. Whether he liked it or not, Ben was highly skilled.

Summer was hovering over the capture as a backup. She doubted that he needed help from the looks of it. Summer was so impressed by Ben's transformation. The silent Ranger she had come to know was no more. He was overflowing with confidence. Summer wished that all of the people from Ranger School that doubted him and teased him could see him now. She understood now what Professor Hastings saw in Ben. It was Ben's integrity and perseverance.

Ben panted as Ho-Oh was captured. A rainbow light flooded him as he saw an Emblem in the sky.

"Ho-Oh, please!" Ben begged. "Free Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres from the Fortress!"

Ho-Oh nodded and flew towards the fortress. Ho-Oh wrapped the barrier in rainbows and freed the bird Pokemon from the control of the fortress. The barrier disappeared.

Summer landed next to him. "'The shining rainbow that came from afar…' In other words, Ho-Oh removed the barrier from the Sky Fortress. Now, Moltres and the others are free! Thank you, Ho-Oh." Summer paused, getting fired up. "Since that bothersome barrier is gone, it's finally time for a showdown!"

"You're too feisty for your own good," Ben laughed.

Ben called Latios, and Summer called Latias. They jetted over to the Sky Fortress. With the barrier down, the pair could get close to the Sky Fortress. Ben glanced over to Summer who was looking like a real Flying Ranger. There was no doubt that she was the most skilled flyer next to Wendy. Ben bet that Summer would pass her up very soon though, especially with the ability to ride Latias.

There was no doubt that the Sociotea was watching from afar. Ben was hoping they were scared.

"It's quiet… Too quiet… They are planning on firing their cannons at us," Summer told him. "Be on your guard. Let's split up."

Cannons started to fire. Latios dodged the cannon fires easily. Ben held on tight as Latios jerked him around. The cannon started to charge massive cannon fires. The giant fires shook the air around Ben and Latios. Ben narrowly dodged the attacks. He felt his skin warm of from the high energy of the attack.

From the Sky Fortress, hundreds of flying Pokemon came charging at them. Latios dodged them while Ben tried to capture all the ones he could. The cannon fired ruthlessly at Ben. Ben escaped the security system by a hair on his head.

Summer flew to his side laughing and smiling. She pulled the goggles from her eyes. "That was awesome!" she laughed. Ben sighed. She totally would be energized from an extremely dangerous situation. "I'm glad you're okay!"

They landed on the Sky Fortress. Summer looked around. "That looks like the entrance over there." The entrance had no bridge. "We can't get across because there is no path. Why don't we fly over?" She paused. "Wait, do you see that?"

Ben squinted. "Is that a force field?"

"Yes, and if I'm not mistaken… That Steelhead Icon seems to have something to do with it."

Ben turned to the Steelhead Icon and touched the stone. "I think it needs psychic power to activate it."

Summer glanced around. "The fortress seems to be barren of Pokemon. Latias can use her psychic abilities to channel the power inside this statue." She pulled out a necklace from under her uniform. On the end of the chain was a silver whistle-like item.

Ben narrowed his eyes. When did she get that? "Summer, what-?"

"You're not the only one who can create a bond with a legendary Pokemon," she chuckled. "This flute can only be heard by Latias, and she'll come to me." Summer blew on the whistle. In moments, Latias appeared to her. She giggled and played with Latias a bit.

Ben suddenly felt upset. It was what she said. "Summer, I'm sorry that I ended up being… you know… the Hero of Oblivia and all. I never thought that maybe it would be unfair to you."

Summer stopped laughing with Latias. She turned to Ben and smiled. "Oh, Ben, don't apologize. You are the only one who's capable to be the hero. I mean, you have such a pure heart. I don't want to be known as the Hero. That's you." She paused and then turned to Latias. "Latias, you know what to do."

Latias fired an orb at the statue and the eyes glowed purple. A stairway appeared to the entrance of the fortress. The pair ran into the Sky Fortress. Steelheads marched around the inside of the fortress.

"Those Steelheads seem different than the ones we've encountered before. We can't just waltz up to the Sociotea," Summer whispered from behind Ben's back. "The Sky Fortress is turning the Pinchers into monsters."

Ben and Summer sneaked passed all the Steelheads. The inside of the Sky Fortress was cold with rock panels adorning the walls and floors. Moss grew in between the panels, making the fortress smell like a rainforest.

Ben stopped quickly in his tracks, causing Summer to bump into his back. A squad of Steelhead marched in front of them as they hid behind a wall. It was too late.

"We are the Steelhead, the knight of old. We have returned to protect Oblivia's new ruler," roared a Steelhead from behind them.

An Aggron roared and charged at the pair. Summer pushed Ben out of the way and took the full blow. She slammed into the ground and then into the wall. The Steelhead walked over to the hurt Summer and lifted her by her arm.

"Know despair."

Summer smiled. "Yeah, right." She kicked the Steelhead in the stomach, making him wobble back, letting go out her. She rushed forward and grabbed his helmet. She ripped it off and the Pincher snapped back to reality as Ben captured the Aggron.

"Where am I?" the Pincher shouted. His grey eyes were large with panic.

"Shh," Summer panicked. "Stop shouting, Mr. 'Knight of Old.'"

"How long has it been?" he looked around. "What is this place? You two need to get out of here. The bosses are insane. I-I quit."

"How should we get him out of here?" Ben asked Summer.

The Pincher started to rip all of the armor off. "This cursed armor… I thought it was going to take over my soul." He turned to the pair. "I don't know if you remember me, but you guys saved Miss Blue Eyes on the submarine. I'm eternally grateful."

"Do you know how to find the Sociotea?" Summer asked.

He rubbed the back of his head, ruffling his red hair. "I don't remember much before I put on the suit, but I think I can help you because I remember the plan. How good are you at climbing? Once you get to the top floor, three of the members are found in different wings, controlling the attack panels. If you can climb up the side of the Fortress, the other Steelhead patrols won't find you. The Steelhead are only on this floor."

Summer wobbled up, her body aching from the attack. Ben helped her up, letting her lean on his body. "Come with us," Ben asked him. "We could use someone to help us around this maze."

"Me? But, I'm a bad guy?"

"Obviously not if you were willing to give up information like that. What's your name?"

"M-My name? It's Rusty."

* * *

**Hello**

**I'm back everyone. This story is starting to come to a close. I'm planning on a new fanfiction, not about Pokemon. I'm probably going to get the first update out in the next few days.**

**Please review**

**Peace (;;._.;;)**


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